Richmond says legislative scandal is ‘unprecedented,’ calls for more transparency

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The RCMP has confirmed it is in the midst of an ongoing investigation of James and Lenz.

Wednesday evening, the National Post reported the investigation is probing allegations of fraud and theft involving public funds.

Then Thursday, Liberal House Leader Mary Polak alleged Speaker Darryl Plecas tried to institute his friend and adviser Alan Mullen as Lenz’s successor.

Claude Richmond represented Kamloops from 1981 to 1991 for the Social Credit Party, and from 2001 to 2009 under the BC Liberals.

He sat as the Speaker from 2001 to 2005, running the legislature during the first years of the Gordon Campbell government.

Speaking to CFJC Today, Richmond says news of the suspensions and investigations came as a shock to him, and is without precedent.

“I honestly have never heard of senior staff being paraded out of the building by police. That’s something totally new to me,” said Richmond.

The investigations were launched months ago by the Speaker’s office, and Richmond says this would have been very sensitive considering the close working relationship between Plecas and both James and Lenz.

“[As the Speaker,] you work very closely with the clerk, especially the chief clerk, who Craig James is,” said Richmond. “Whenever any procedural item comes up, you always collaborate with the clerks to make sure that you’re following the procedure and that you’re on the right ground.”

“The clerk is the person who has the knowledge of the parliamentary system and how it works. They’re especially important if you’re a brand new speaker to advise you on House rules, et cetera. The sergeant-at-arms is responsible for the security of the precinct — the building and the grounds.”

Two special prosecutors have been hired to help with the RCMP investigation.

Both Plecas’s office and law enforcement authorities have been tight-lipped as to what the investigation entails, and Richmond says that is only making things worse.

“I just feel, like a lot of people, that the sooner the public knows what this is all about, the better. There’s nothing worse than rumours flying around and everybody guessing at what’s going on. I think it would be much better if it’s transparent and people were told, this is what it’s about.”