Findings of public inquiry into money laundering in B.C. to be released on Wednesday

The B.C. government is set to release the final report from the Commission of Inquiry into Money Laundering in British Columbia on Wednesday afternoon.

The Cullen Commission’s final report is being released publicly per the terms of the Public Inquiry Act and will be released in its entirety.

Commissioner Austin Cullen will take questions about the report on Wednesday afternoon, followed by Attorney General David Eby.

22:26 Focus BC: Cullen Commission report to be released, BC Liberals consider name change

Both press conferences will be carried live on the Global BC website and streamed on Facebook.

The inquiry was called by the province, but is independent of government, after extensive reporting by Global News and mounting pressure from the public.

The report took longer to complete than expected due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the commissioner wanting to follow up with some witnesses.

Hearings and submissions did not finish until October, a delay of several months.

The commission held 138 hearing days, heard from 198 witnesses and received 1,063 exhibits comprising more than 70,000 pages.

The final report is expected to be more than 1,000 pages.

The inquiry’s mandate includes making findings of fact on the extent, growth and methods of money laundering, and making recommendations.

2:13 Closing submissions underway in B.C. money laundering probe

Politicians, including former minister Rich Coleman, testified during the public inquiry.

The government has been seeking public accountability for why decisions were made by casinos, the BC Lottery Cooperation and the government contributing to British Columbia becoming a hotbed for laundering through casinos and the housing market.

The government has made substantial changes to policy already, including setting caps on cash transactions in casinos.

–with files from the Canadian Press