Money laundering public inquiry finds ‘no evidence’ of political corruption in B.C.

A three-year investigation into money laundering in B.C. casinos and the housing market has found no links to political corruption.

In a more than 1,800-page report, the Cullen Commission team outlines that elected officials in the province were aware of suspicious funds entering the provincial revenue stream through the gaming industry, but there is no evidence of corruption.

Former B.C. Supreme Court Justice Austin Cullen concluded money laundering in the province’s casinos persisted over the tenures of multiple ministers responsible for gaming including former BC Liberal MLA Rich Coleman and current BC Liberal MLAs Shirley Bond and Mike de Jong.

“Despite the failure of these elected officials to take steps sufficient to resolve the extensive money laundering occurring in the industry for which they were responsible, there is no basis to conclude that any engaged in any form of corruption related to the gaming industry or to the Commissioner’s mandate for generally,” Cullen writes.

“While some could have done more, there is no evidence that any of the failures was motivated by corruption.”

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Money laundering investigation will go back as far as needed: Horgan

The BC NDP has for years suggested the previous government allowed money laundering to take place in casinos in the province.

One of the reasons why Attorney General David Eby and Premier John Horgan decided to allow for an independent, public inquiry was due to growing calls for public accountability linked to money laundering.

In the final report, Cullen concludes none of the BC Liberal politicians “knowingly encouraged, facilitated, or…