The province has launched an anonymous tip portal for British Columbians to report “dirty money” in horse racing, real estate and luxury cars.
In a Sunday afternoon press release, the province said the portal was launched following the Peter German report released in June on on anti-money laundering in Lower Mainland casinos.
The 247-page report found that a ‘collective’ system failure allowed money laundering to flourish in the region’s casinos.
Attorney General David Eby had commissioned the report after laundering was brought to the forefront earlier this year when news reports uncovered large-scale criminal activity in the province’s casinos.
The tip portal follows up on a probe announced by the province in September where German will look into money laundering in horse racing, real estate and luxury cars.
A second finance ministry led probe is looking at legislative and regulatory actions that can be taken to prevent money laundering.
The province is looking for tips:
- Connections between organized crime and money laundering in the horse racing and luxury car industries;
- Money laundering in the real estate sector connected to criminal enterprises in B.C. or elsewhere, including analysis of the extent of the problem;
- Use of lawyers’ trust accounts to mask sources of funds in real estate transactions;
- Money laundering in the construction industry, including abuse of builders’ liens; and
- Any other conduct in which there may be an identifiable link between organized crime and real estate transactions in B.C.
The province is taking tips till Jan. 21, 2019.
