Two former B.C. government aides received thousands of dollars in cash and meals, tickets to a football game in Colorado and an offer for federal political jobs in exchange for leaking confidential documents, a Crown lawyer said on the opening day of a corruption trial.

Bill Berardino said Tuesday that Dave Basi and Bobby Virk passed on the government information to a Victoria-based lobbyist working for one of three bidders vying for B.C. Rail.

He said a third former government employee, Aneal Basi, allegedly moved "regular payments" from the lobbyist through his bank account to that of his cousin, Dave Basi.

Virk and Dave Basi are facing charges of fraud and breach of trust, while Aneal Basi is charged with money laundering.

The lobbyist, Erik Bornmann, is a key witness who is expected to testify under an immunity agreement, Berardino said in laying out the Crown's case.

Court heard that Bornmann will discuss his role in the transfer of money and benefits when he worked for Pilothouse, the firm that represented Denver-based OmniTrax as it tried to buy B.C. Rail.

All charges stem from the men's activities around the $1-billion sale of the Crown-owned corporation between 2002 and 2003.

The criminal investigation culminated in a sensational raid of the ornate B.C. legislature building on Dec. 28, 2003, when Mounties armed with a search warrant carted away dozens of boxes of evidence.

At the time, Dave Basi worked for then-finance minister Gary Collins and Virk was employed in the office of then-transportation minister Judith Reid. Court heard they were both political appointees whose positions required the swearing of oaths to keep government business private.

Speaking slowly and methodically for nearly an hour, Berardino told the B.C. Supreme Court jurors that they will hear from about 30 witnesses, view a large volume of documents and hear recorded telephone calls.

The jury also received a chart meant to be used as a tool to decipher the various players in the complex case.

Martyn Brown, Premier Gordon Campbell's chief of staff, is among several high-profile witnesses, including Collins and Reid, who will testify.

Berardino said jurors will also hear from Mark Marissen, husband to then-deputy premier Christy Clark, and an official for then-federal finance minister Paul Martin.

Marissen will allegedly give evidence about a job offer that was made for a chief of staff position if Paul Martin were to become prime minister.

Among the allegations Berardino presented was that Dave Basi and Virk received a trip for them and their wives to see the Denver Broncos, a demand for $3,000 cash to pay for the airfares and "regular dinners" costing $20,000, all paid by OmniTrax.

It's also alleged Aneal Basi cashed $27,000 worth of cheques from Pilothouse and passed on $25,000 to Dave Basi.

Confidential bidding numbers were among the information allegedly leaked for those benefits, court heard.

The three accused, dressed in business suits, sat attentively as Berardino laid out the case.

But Virk's defence lawyer, Kevin McCullough, interrupted usual decorum by objecting twice to the Crown's opening statement.

Judge Anne MacKenzie responded by telling McCullough the opening statement was proper and threatened to have him removed by the sheriff.