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Here’s a story I think we’re missing in greater Vancouver - the impact on cases caused by the disclosure of an informants identity to defence lawyers twice by a govt lawyer in a money laundering gambling case. I think it’s caused a chill over informants b/c arguably, police can’t
give assurances any more to an informant that they’ll be protected when they give evidence in a fraud or criminal case. The police rightfully, protect informants. One accidental disclosure is one thing. Twice is something different. If informants can’t be assured of protection,
they’ll pull out of being part of a case. Something happened to break the trust; we know that from reporting that’s been done; but we don’t have any sense of whether protocols and systems or humans were improved upon to protect informants going forward in BC, to avoid a repeat
wrongful disclosure and what impact beyond the one large money laundering case, this has had on criminal and fraud prosecutions in the province. My guess is it caused a chill over cases that won’t thaw until the trust that informant identity can be protected, is restored.
It might take something as simple as a govt news release that they’ve implemented a system whereby 4 humans review disclosures sent externally before they are sent, so that public knows problem was solved. An informant risks death if their identity is revealed. Public loses by
justice system being impacted.
