BC Government Figures Call Allegations of Criminal Ties Offensive
Mike Johnson, 26 April 2021
Commenting on the issue, former B.C. finance minister Mike de Jong argued that the allegations mounted against the province were “offensive,” missing to mention the fact that Ross Alderson, the former director of anti-money laundering (AML) at the B.C. Lottery Corporation (BCLC) has been missing since March.
Alderson was the key witness and main whistleblower in the case against the alleged corruption in BCLC and the province. De Jong, though, argued vehemently the accusations against the government were unfounded and frustrating.
The province made significant efforts to understand organized crime during his stint as head of gaming between 2013 and 2017, De Jong stated on Friday. The matter is probed by the Cullen Commission set up for the purposes of addressing the issue that was brought up by the now missing Alderson.
According to investigators who appeared in front of the commission, they had suspected for years prior that organized crime groups had been issuing cash loans to high-roller gamblers and leveraging various money laundering schemes to move money around.
Some speakers suggested that de Jong’s predecessor was well aware of the practices, but had shifted his priority to maxing out gambling revenue and not targeting criminal organizations.
