Erik Bornman

Eirk Bornman is a former lobbyist. Nicknamed 'spiderman' he was involved in a corruption scandal in British Columbia.

Former provincial ministerial aides David Basi and Bob Virk and former communications aide Aneal Basi all face a variety of charges stemming back two and a half years to December 28, 2003.

On that date, Canadians were shocked by television footage of police officers carting box after box out of the legislature in a case that allegedly involved not only the $1 billion BC Rail privatization deal, but drug trafficking, influence peddling, breach of trust and fraud.

David Basi, his brother-in-law Virk and his cousin all face trial in B.C. Supreme Court starting June 5.

On Monday, a large volume of information related to several search warrants was released to the media. Included are allegations that lobbyists Erik Bornman and Brian Kieran of Pilothouse Public Affairs paid almost $30,000 to the accused in exchange for confidential government information on part of the BC Rail deal.^[1]

Erik Bornman is now a University of B.C. law student articling in Toronto at the prestigious firm of McCarthy Tetrault, which donated $118,000 to the federal leadership campaign of former Liberal Party Prime Minister Paul Martin, who Bornman once worked for when Martin was finance minister.

Bornman, the budding lawyer, earned the nickname "Spiderman" after he once entered a locked federal Liberal Party in B.C. office through the ceiling.

...Bornman and Kieran were at one time registered as lobbyists for OmniTRAX, the US-based rail company that bid for BC Rail against eventual winner CN Rail. Another bidder, CP Rail, bailed out of the bidding because it claimed there was a "clear breach" of fairness in the process, due to other bidders receiving confidential information.

As well as representing OmniTRAX, Bornman was a registered lobbyist for the Employers Forum of BC, the Council of Forest Industries, the Western Canadian Shippers Coalition, the Broe Companies, Inc. (owners of OmniTRAX), the BC Real Estate Association, Famous Players, the Certified General Accountants Association of BC and Capgemini Ernst & Young, according to the B.C. government's lobbyist web site. ^[2]

Notes

1. ^ Bill Tieleman Spiderman in a Web of Intrigue Legislature raid still under wraps The Basi-Virk-BC Rail probe may yield BC’s biggest scandal yet. If so, meet the Crown’s mysterious star witness: ‘Spiderman’ Erik Bornman. The Tyee, Published: May 10, 2005.
2. ^ Bill Tieleman Leg Raid Case: New Charges, New Questions Scandal keeps growing Influence peddling on big land deal alleged. TheTyee.ca Published: April 4, 2006
3. ^ Bill Tieleman Leg Raid Case: New Charges, New Questions Scandal keeps growing Influence peddling on big land deal alleged. TheTyee.ca Published: April 4, 2006