Purged E-Mails May Tell Story in Basi-Virk Case

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 01:34 PM

Prince George, B.C.- E-mails, which may or may not tell a story in the sale of B.C. Rail, are gone.

According to the Globe and Mail, Cabinet e-mails between 2001 and 2005, have been destroyed even though there is a law stating electronic files must be kept for at least 7 years.

The newspaper reports that lawyers filed an application two weeks ago seeking the disclosure of the e-mail records of several members of cabinet, key executives and of Premier Gordon Campbell, from June 2001 to 2005. The B.C. rail deal closed in 2004.

The B.C. Supreme Court has been told by George Copley, a lawyer representing the Executive Council, the electronic records are gone and cannot be recovered. Copley told Justice Elizabeth Bennett that back up tapes are only kept for about 13 months.

Justice Bennett is reluctant to call government officials to explain why the materials were purged because there has been argument proving the material is relevant. Those arguments were to be presented today.

The Globe and Mail says that under the Document Disposal Act, records are supposed to be kept for seven years. Formal records can be destroyed, but only after being approved by either a public documents committee, the legislative assembly or the attorney general.

E-mails are supposed to be copied to a central document management directory before being deleted from personal files.

Previous Story - Next Story

Email |

Print |

Facebook |

Twitter |

Digg |

Del.icio.us

Posted on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 01:34 PM in News by 250 News

Return to Home

Comments

Posted by: Oldun on June 23 2009 8:32 PM

I am truly dismayed. Who would have thought that the politicos would have done such a thing? This case has been dragging on way too long. Even Conrad Black's case didn't take this long and he got caught destroying evidence. I guess politicians are a breed unto themselves when it comes to the laws of the land. They make the laws and they break the laws. Nuff said.

Posted by: ammonra on June 23 2009 11:25 PM

This means that two copies of each e-mail have been destroyed, the one from the sender and the one from the person receiving it. The odds of there being an accidental convergance like that is extreme, I would have thought.

Since this is evidence in a criminal case, and since it is an illegal act to delete evidence, not to mention that Government e-mails may not be deleted for 7 years apparently, there must now be a criminal investigation involving everyone who had e-mails disappear no matter how high up in the government this goes. That includes the Premier.

Posted by: Old Hippy on June 24 2009 12:18 AM

I look forward to reading this story in the Citizen sometime next week and buried somewhere on page 186 in small print.

Posted by: herbster on June 24 2009 3:37 AM

Watergate meant the end of Richard Nixon. This means the end of Gordon Campbell. Either he resigns or he is impeached. He cannot continue to govern with any credibility or honour. Surely there must be someone in the provincial Liberal Party who is honest enough to realize this and who will make a serious effort to replace Campbell as leader.

Posted by: acrider54 on June 24 2009 5:41 AM

Campbell is untouchable, it has already been proven, he can do anything he likes and get away with it.

Posted by: diplomat on June 24 2009 8:09 AM

The plot is thickening - or is it sickening?

Posted by: Eagleone on June 24 2009 8:27 AM

Unfortunately Acrider54 is probably right... still it just goes to show that those making the laws for the rest of us have no respect for the laws, or the system, when it comes to their own hidden agenda's.

They'll tell the voters what the voters want to hear to get elected and become legitimized, and then its a free ticket for their own unaccountable agenda for another 4-years... in Canada we call it democracy. Its amazing that in a modern world these people can still get away with it.

IMO the BC Supreme Court is no better than most of these politicians, and thats part of the problem. The system is obviously broken for these people to even attempt what they did. BCSTV might not have been the answer, but surely the status quo is not either.

IMO referendums on the major issues is a must, and regional representation should be more balanced, and money needs to be removed from the vote. Were in big trouble otherwise.

Posted by: thereasonableman on June 24 2009 11:28 AM

Tape backups are only kept for about 13 months. That's an odd timeline...13 months ?

Or is it coincidental that 13 months later, they needed to be destroyed ?

Shocking isn't it ?

And they say all these things with straight faces. They are not even laughing.

Posted by: metalman on June 24 2009 3:32 PM

Campbell: "the teflon Don"
(nothing sticks to him)