By Mandy Vocke

No dedicated federal anti-money laundering police officers working in B.C., study finds

Apr 8, 2019 | 11:16 AM

BRITISH COLUMBIA— There are currently no dedicated federal RCMP officers in B.C. investigating criminal money laundering, according to the latest report into money laundering in the province by former senior RCMP Officer Peter German.

Money laundering refers to the concealment of the origins of illegally obtained money. German was asked to examine why so few money laundering cases have been investigated or prosecuted in B.C., despite the widespread and internationally recognized laundering activities taking place in Metro Vancouver.

“We have accelerated the release of this portion of the report so that the federal government and the public are aware of what is happening to police the international crime groups laundering money through our provincial economy,” says Attorney General,  David Eby. “What is happening is nothing.”

Anti-money laundering is a set of procedures, laws and regulations designed to prevent the practice of generating income through illegal actions. German says the Province the RCMP team assigned to deal with anti-money laundering, within the Federal Serious Organized Crime branch, is more than three-quarters unstaffed (currently 5 of 26 employees). German found the only RCMP resources dedicated to anti-money laundering investigations within B.C. are provincially funded or operate under the provincial policing agreement.  

“Every single dollar in the federal budget for anti-money laundering needs to come to B.C. yesterday,” Eby says. “Police experts need to be recruited from across Canada for a specialized team that can start now. There’s not enough time to start from scratch. The money launderers here are already experts, they’re already rich and now we know they’re better resourced.”

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A thorough review of German’s report is underway prior to its full release to ensure ongoing investigations are not compromised and named parties have an opportunity to respond. The remaining chapters of the review will be released later this spring.