Fred Pinnock, the former chief of British Columbia’s Illegal Gambling Enforcement Team (IIGET) has shared that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (CRMP) and the former Liberal Government actually did nothing to tackle illegal money laundering schemes which had been taking place at the province’s casinos, in spite of the warnings.
Speaking publicly for the first time in almost 10 years, Mr. Pinnock commented on the money-laundering case, saying that the BC Liberal Party which governed British Columbia at the time when the illegal activities flourished were actually well aware of what was going on in local casinos but did not take any measures to crack down on the problem as they did not want to stop the money flow.
Mr. Pinnock who once headed the IIGET in the period from 2005 to 2008, blamed the BC Liberals and the senior management of the RCMP for their lack of action at the beginning of the illegal activities. As reported by Global News Canada, he claimed that the authorities in question all knew that organized criminal activity was run in the province’s casinos and racetracks.
After spending almost a decade away from public attention, Mr. Pinnock decided to talk after reading Peter German’s report which provided more details on the widespread money laundering activities in British Columbia casinos. Now, he shared that he had information that the Liberal Government had complained about his views regarding local casinos and the spreading money laundering schemes. He also revealed that he knew that a senior member was censored by the RCMP in 2011 when trying to complain from the Government.
Rick Coleman Rejects Accusations against Former BC Liberal Government
Last week, Rich Coleman who occupied the position of the minister of gambling in British Columbia rejected the rumors that the Liberal Government did little to stop the unlawful money laundering schemes, as it was aimed at keeping the casino profits high. In addition, Mr. Coleman denied allegations that the former Government had influenced the decision-making process of the RCMP at the time when the provincial policing contract was waiting for official approval.
As previously revealed by Casino Reports, the local Government made a decision to eliminate the IIGET team in 2009, at the time when Coleman was serving as Solicitor General and only a year after the retirement of Mr. Pinnock. Last week, Coleman explained that the former Liberal Government had decided to scrap the unit as it was not working as effectively as it was supposed to. As revealed by the former Solicitor General, the law enforcement officers who had been monitoring and controlling the process recommended at the time that the Government should have eliminated the unit but use the money to fund the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU).
Now, when Mr. Pinnock making serious accusations against the BC Liberal Government, Coleman once again turned down the allegations, saying that no member of the Government ever interfered with Pinnock’s ability to do his job. As revealed by Global News Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police declined to make further comments on the matter.
