Ex-Mountie 'gobsmacked' by comments about B.C.'s approach to crime in casinos, inquiry hears

A retired RCMP officer repeated his earlier testimony today at British Columbia's public inquiry into money laundering that former cabinet minister Kash Heed told him the government's gaming minister was aware of organized crime in casinos.

Fred Pinnock, who was under cross-examination by a lawyer representing Heed, testified he was "gobsmacked"in 2009 when Heed told him the gaming minister at the time was more concerned about making money for the government than fighting organized criminals.

Heed's lawyer, Peter Senkpiel, told the inquiry the former Liberal cabinet minister has concerns with Pinnock's recollection of the 2009 conversation and his interpretation of three recorded conversations he had with Heed in 2018.

Pinnock says his memory may have faded over time but the essence of Heed's comments to him in 2009 about former gaming minister Rich Coleman and organized crime at casinos is still clear to him.

Heed was granted limited status at the inquiry last week following Pinnock's earlier testimony.

The B.C. government appointed Supreme Court Justice Austin Cullen to lead the public inquiry into money laundering after three reports outlined how hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal cash affected the province's real estate, luxury vehicle and gaming sectors.