Attorney General David Eby has appointed a former high-ranking RCMP officer to lead the province’s review into money laundering and the gambling industry.
Peter German, a lawyer and former Deputy Commissioner with both the RCMP and Correctional Service of Canada will lead the probe, which will focus particularly on the Lower Mainland.
German is also the author of “Canada’s leading anti-money-laundering law textbook,” according to a government news release.
The province said the independent review will assess B.C.’s anti-money-laundering policies and practices in the gaming industry.
It will also make recommendations for reform, if deemed necessary, said the release.
The review comes in the wake of a damning 2016 report commissioned by the former BC Liberal government, but not released until last week.
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That document, produced by accounting firm MNP LLP found troubling irregularities at Richmond’s River Rock casino, including accepting single cash buy-ins in excess of half a million dollars.
The report, which is not a full review, made a number of recommendations that were not implemented, including how casinos should refuse unsourced cash deposits over a certain amount.
The report also shows the majority of the cash being presented at casinos was from players commonly referred to as “high roller Asian VIP clients.”
However, the review itself has drawn some criticism, including that it focused on a single casino rather than a cross section of gaming houses, and the fact that MNP had business connections to one of River Rock’s competitors.
-With files from Charmaine de Silva and Estefania Duran