The Vancouver Sun is reporing that "The Law Society of B.C. has accused one of the province’s most senior and respected lawyers, Michael Bolton, of permitting his trust account to be used in a manner that he ought to have known would assist in or encourage dishonesty, crime or fraud."
"Bolton denies the charges but now faces a disciplinary panel hearing." He is represented by Peter Leask. Things that make ya go hmmm.
Peter Leask was the most incompetent judge in Canadian history. Choosing him to represent you is a bad precident.
Michael Bolton on the other hand "is considered one of the most experienced and one of the top criminal lawyers in Canada." Peter Leask was also a criminal defense lawyer before he became a controversial court judge. Just because someone is a criminal defense lawyer doesn't make them dirty. Everyone has the right to legal counsel. Even Clifford Olson.
However, crime does exist and so does money laundering. In fact,
Money laundering through Vancouver lawyers is a huge problem. That's exactly what Michael Bolton is accused of doing and he isn't even facing a criminal trial just a disciplinary hearing. That kind of says it all.
"The society alleged that between October 2011 and November 2018, on behalf of one or more clients and related parties — identified only by the letters K, F, V, E, and Z — Bolton engaged in activities that assisted in or encouraged dishonesty, crime or fraud by allegedly permitting his trust account to receive and disburse $4,866,976.72 Cdn and $6,508,949.78 US when he ought to have known various particulars. The Law Society says those particulars were that some of his clients were being investigated in the United States, and some or all of the funds were the proceeds of certain business operations by some of the clients that U.S. authorities had determined amounted to money laundering under U.S. law."
"The citation also claims he knew or should have known freezing orders were in the offing and Z, K, F, and V had entered guilty pleas in the U.S. to money laundering and conspiracy to distribute wholesale quantities of misbranded prescription drugs for the foreign market."
That is significant. That's a criminal case not a disciplinary hearing. I'd sure like to know who Z, K, F, and V are.
However, "misbranded prescription drugs for the foreign market" doesn't sound like they were accused of slinging oxies. Yet that's an awful lot of money for generic drugs.
Update: In Eastern Canada, the Hells Angels are knows for contraband cigarettes. No one cares about contraband cigarettes. Cigarettes are not illegal nor should they be. Contraband cigarettes aren't destroying society like crack, crystal meth or fentanyl is. Skimming the profits off of HIV, diabetes, dementia, and high blood pressure meds is a crime but it doesn't harm society. Why aren't we going after the people that are harming society? We need to get our priorities straight.