Corruption in Victoria

Now that Messrs. Lenz and James have had sufficient time to provide excuses for what we citizens KNOW to be fraud, it's frankly disgusting what they came up with:

Messrs. Lenz and James, Victoria's bureaucratic crooks

All "lawyered up", it took them a couple of weeks to come up with the following tripe:

"Mr. Speaker drew conclusions not based on facts proven in court. By convention since 2001, this defence is sufficient for all accusations raised against political appointees in British Columbia. 

However, we provide exculpatory explanations:
Each of us was undercover, gathering evidence of possible wrongdoing by the other. Because they were complex, our investigations lasted years. Had they been completed, citizens would have thanked one of us for diligence.
Travelling the world is not easy. We were absent from friends and family for extended periods, staying in unfamiliar places and eating unusual foods. Travel was an imposition, not a benefit. Our sacrifices meant others did not have to suffer.
As Liberals, we believe in low taxes. Having the Legislature pay for our goods and services was an effective strategy for us to reduce income tax. This allows improved recruitment and retention of people like us.
The Legislature has few areas for storage so, by keeping the log splitter and trailer at home without charging storage fees, we were doing BC taxpayers a favour. Any use we made of the equipment was to ensure its readiness in case the Legislature’s giant sequoia fell.
Taxpayers paid retirement benefits to us because we expected to retire. Our decisions not to retire came afterward, so payment of the extra hundreds of thousands of dollars to us was appropriate at the time.
We were testing financial oversight at the Legislature. Having proved existing measures ineffective, we were about to make corrections when the LAMC suspended us.
Despite our removal efforts, there was too much liquor at the Legislature. This may have resulted in certain behaviours beyond our control.
Everyone else was doing it."

Really?
REALLY?
 
An 8-year old's excuses would've been more imaginative!

A few comments from another blog, citing an excerpt from the Globe and Mail:

“. . . In his statement, Mr. James said he had responded as well as he could to the concerns raised about his behaviour, given the short time provided and “in the absence of access to records and staff.”
“I maintain, as I have all along, that I have not done anything wrong which justifies the actions that have been taken against me, or the unfair and prejudicial manner in which those actions have been taken,” Mr. James said in his statement.
“I am depending on the [Legislative Assembly Management Committee] and the members of the House to review the information that I have provided carefully, and treat me fairly,” he added.” . . .
I expect Mr. James will get a buy out and fade quietly into the sunset, keeping all his secrets. I predict no messy criminal trial.
And that the “audit” will be tepid, delayed and finally produce a mind-numbingly convoluted and essentially meaningless bureaucratic report with the lightest of wrist-slapping and yet another promise of better processes and oversight. Inappropriate contracts? Wrongful dismissals? Corruption? Nothing to see here!
Darryl Plecas’ report was a bombshell and a clear indictment of all that is wrong with the legislature and the culture of entitlement and the much too cozy relationships including the senior MSM (mainstream media) reporters."

Maybe (Speaker) Plecas’ continued stick-handling and public opinion will force a real House cleaning."

I believe taxpayers will force a thorough House-cleaning.
The House of the people, the taxpayers of British Columbia.
At least I hope so.

"Get rid of the maggots in Victoria," Kia would've said.

Whatever happens, Speaker Darryl Plecas deserves a medal.
And a huge thanks from taxpayers in B.C.