A former Liberal MLA who left the party to join the Conservatives is asking for the right to join a lawsuit filed against the province over the BC Rail scandal.
John van Dongen, a one-time solicitor general, filed an application Monday for intervener status in a petition filed by Auditor General John Doyle. Doyle's motion seeks the right to see all evidence regarding the $6 million the province paid to cover the defence costs of Dave Basi and Bobby Virk.
"Residents of this province must have trust in the institutions of government if our democracy is to function properly. Trust can only come from complete transparency and accountability," van Dongen said in a press release.
Basi and Virk, both former government aides, pleaded guilty in 2010 to breach of trust and accepting bribes in connection to the privatization of BC Rail a decade ago.
Doyle is currently conducting an audit of the government's practice of granting special indemnities to employees like Basi and Virk without the guidelines of a formalized and approved policy.
Van Dongen says that if he is granted intervener status in the case, he will argue that the evidence should not be protected by privacy claims of lawyer-client privilege. The politician says that, as an experienced MLA, his presence in court will help add some perspective about the practical implications of the case.
Van Dongen quit the Liberal party in March, citing concerns with Premier Christy Clark's leadership as well the many "unanswered questions" regarding the Basi-Virk case.
The Liberals claim bureaucrats, not politicians, made the choice to pay the men's legal fees. On Monday, Finance Minister Kevin Falcon told reporters he was "not happy" with the decision.
His intervenor application is scheduled to be heard in B.C. Supreme Court on June 1. The auditor general's petition is scheduled for a five-day hearing beginning June 18.
