Shocking testimony in British Columbia anti-money laundering case

Content Team November 9, 2020

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Shocking testimony in British Columbia anti-money laundering case

An official inquiry has uncovered a shocking claim that a former local government minister was responsible for money laundering by organised crime groups in the Western Canadian Province

Reports from the Canadian Global Television Network state that Fred Pinnock commanded an anti-illegal gambling unit within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Pinnock testified that he tried to bolster their resources back in 2007 in a bid to tackle money laundering conducted by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation casinos which was completely out of control. 

Pinnock’s requests fell on deaf ears as the Government’s Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch did not support any of his objectives and also disbanded his unit. The former policeman stated how their stance on money laundering was a massive ‘charade’ and public safety was not on their agenda with respect to gaming. 

Communication meltdown: 

Moreover, Pinnock continues to add how Rich Coleman, the provincial minister responsible for gaming at the time, continually disregarded concerns expressed by Pinnock and his team. Rich Coleman, it is claimed, allegedly criticised Naomi Yamamoto, who was a Liberal Party legislator, in front of a party gathering after she also raised concerns.  

It is reported that the former policeman told the inquiry, “It was in a group setting and she described his reaction as brutal and dismissive and embarrassing. And my conclusion is he did not want to be told about casino concerns.” 

Moreover, Pinnock disclosed how increasingly frustrated he and his team were becoming due to the lack of action taken on money laundering and it resulted in him and Kash Heed, Coleman’s successor, setting up a private meeting. Pinnock colemanpurportedly declared that this meeting concluded what he had suspected. The whole fiasco ‘was a game being played by senior police officers’ and that Coleman ‘received the tacit support’ of senior figures within the RCMP and were the puppets of the Liberal Party stalwart. 

Cullen Commission heard that ““I told him I am convinced that Rich Coleman (pictured) knows what’s going on inside those casinos and Kash Heed confirmed my perception that I was accurate in my belief and he did feel that Rich Coleman had created this. He said to me, in effect, ‘that is what is going on, Fred, but I can’t say that publicly. You know, it’s all about the money’.” 

Coleman has yet to testify, according to the Canadian Global Television Network, and has previously denied these serious allegations about turning a blind eye to money laundering by British Columbia casinos. However, Coleman is not the only one involved in this case as Pinnock claims that the collusion also includes Gary Bass, former Deputy Commissioner for the RCMP’s Pacific Region, and the Chief Superintendent, Dick Bent. 

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