TIE BETWEEN LEGISLATURE RAID, DRUG BUST DENIED

The federal Crown prosecutor, a defence lawyer and two senior police
officials say they have no knowledge of any connection between December's
police raids on the legislature and a significant drug bust in Duncan just
over a month earlier.

The possibility of such a link arose during a court hearing in Duncan
earlier this week, when a lawyer for one of two defendants in the November
drug bust indicated the investigations could somehow be related.

Victoria lawyer Clark Purves told Duncan provincial court that his client,
James Peter McDonald, has not been given full disclosure of material
collected in his case.

According to a Cowichan Valley Citizen story, Purves told provincial court
Judge Keith Bracken that he has received several documents from the Crown
but believes there is more evidence that needs to be disclosed.

The newspaper reported Purves told court that some of the documents he has
refer to wire tap evidence related to an investigation of David Basi, former
ministerial assistant to Finance Minister Gary Collins; Bob Virk, former
ministerial assistant to former transportation minister Judith Reid; and
Mandeep Sandhu, cousin of Victoria police officer Ravinder Dosanjh who has
been suspended while RCMP and Victoria police conduct an investigation into
allegations of breach of trust and obstruction of justice.

Purves told court he was concerned there might be "overlap from the wiretap
Mr. Justice Dohm is holding.''

The lawyer was referring to wiretap and search warrant evidence related to
the raids on the legislature and a nearly two-year-long investigation into
drugs, money laundering and organized crime that has been sealed by
Associate Chief Justice Patrick Dohm of B.C. Supreme Court.

On Tuesday, Dohm will resume hearing an application by several media
outlets, including the Times Colonist, to unseal edited versions of those
warrants. At that time, Dohm is also expected to release summaries of the
cases to the media.

Purves, who did not return calls from the Times Colonist this week, also
told court that his client's case had been given an operation name by RCMP,
something usually reserved for major cases.

McDonald, 49, and Keith Norman Fraser, both of Duncan, are facing charges of
multiple counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession
for the purposes of export.

They were arrested Nov. 21 at the Duncan airport, said Duncan RCMP Cst.
Jennifer Prunty. Two motor vehicles and an airplane were also seized by
police, she added.

Federal Crown prosecutor Johannes Van Iperen said Thursday he has no
knowledge of the Duncan drug bust case or any connection it might have to
investigations tied to the legislature. Van Iperen's office is responsible
for the drug cases tied to the legislature raids.

"It doesn't mean it's not there,'' Van Iperen said of any connection between
the Duncan case and the others. "I don't know the whole case, but those are
not names that I've ever seen.''

The lawyer for Basi said this week his client has no knowledge of the Duncan
case, either.

"I'm advised by Mr. Basi that it has absolutely nothing to do with him,
whatsoever,'' said Chris Considine.

In previous statements through Considine, Basi has consistently maintained
he has done nothing wrong and he faces no specific allegations or charges.
Nevertheless, he was fired from his government position just one day after
his office at the legislature and his home in Saanich were searched by
police on Dec. 28.

Virk, meanwhile, was suspended with pay from his government position after
his office was searched as part of the legislature raids.

RCMP spokesman Sgt. John Ward said Thursday he has no knowledge of a
connection between the Duncan drug case and the legislature raids.

"That's the first I've heard of that,'' Ward said. "As far as I'm aware
there is no connection.''

Victoria Police Chief Paul Battershill also said Thursday he was unaware of
any link between the legislature investigation and the Duncan drug seizure.

"But I would say in fairness that the scope of the investigation was such
that it's quite possible that there was a connection and I wouldn't know
about it,'' Battershill said.

McDonald and Fraser appeared this week before Judge Bracken in Duncan
provincial court. He is the same judge who authorized some of the drug
warrants linked to the legislature investigation, including one for a home
in Shawnigan Lake, owned by Basi, and one for the former Saanich home of
Sandhu.

Bracken agreed with Purves' request to put off the case involving McDonald
and Fraser until after Dohm rules on the warrants connected to the
legislature. Bracken has also put off media requests to unseal the warrant
information for Basi's Shawnigan Lake rental property and Sandhu's former
home until after Dohm's ruling on the other warrants.

Meanwhile, no criminal charges have been laid in connection with the
legislature raids despite rumours that swirled around the legislature on
Thursday.

"There's nothing imminent -- nothing that's going to happen very soon,''
said the RCMP's Ward.

Van Iperen said Thursday he has just returned from holidays but was unaware
of any charges coming soon.

"It's at the stage where they're liaising with Crown and there's disclosure
occurring but I haven't heard anything recently,'' Battershill said Thursday
of pending charges. "It's not going to surprise me if charges get laid but
it would surprise me if it's today or tomorrow.''