VANCOUVER — Former British Columbia cabinet minister Kash Heed has been granted limited participant status at the public inquiry into money laundering so he can cross-examine a former RCMP officer.
Commissioner Austin Cullen says Heed has 90 minutes to question Fred Pinnock, who testified at the inquiry earlier that Heed told him B.C.'s gaming minister knew about organized crime at casinos.
Heed sought limited status to cross examine Pinnock, who said the former solicitor general told him in 2009 that the gaming minister at the time was more interested in the generation of casino revenues than possible money laundering.
Pinnock testified he was the head of the RCMP's now disbanded Integrated Illegal Gaming Enforcement Team when he first spoke with Heed, a former police chief in West Vancouver.
Pinnock also testified he recorded Heed years later as the former minister repeated his earlier comments about the former gaming minister's approach to gaming concerns.
The B.C. government launched the public inquiry after three reports outlined hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal cash impacted the real estate, luxury vehicle and gaming sectors in the province.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2020.
The Canadian Press