Let me start start off by saying that obviously, I'm not responsible for the confusions or conflation of issues in terms apples and oranges said by people who preceded me in this conversation. I will, however, own up to everything I've said.
Now, if the system that you describe in place exists and is tight, how is it possible that a group of Venezuelans was able to put hundreds of millions of dollars into your system? These people were not hiding. There had been multiple news articles about their crimes. It would not take very long to realize, in fact, that some of these news articles were on front pages of financial newspapers looking at these people who came out of nowhere and just bought 20% of Pacific Rubiales in Toronto. So in that sense, the system has in fact failed, and they are a perfect example. There is no question that all of their wealth is ill-gotten; they had none before this began, and there is no question that the power plants that they built, which, by the way, don't function, are an enormous scandal.
As for due process, I think that, much like in asset forfeiture situations, there are many cases where people have had their wealth taken from them and held, particularly at the local level, by zealous prosecutors or police who simply don't like the idea of people having a lot of cash, or immediately have a question mark about it. I am the first to advocate for a lot of scrutiny on the state when it comes to asset forfeiture, but we're not talking about going after a supermarket owner or going after someone who operates a cash business who may be suspected of being engaged in drug money laundering. We're talking about going after people like the Bongo family, who have hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate, including in Canada, homes that are worth $100 million euros in France, and so on and so forth. That is what I am addressing in those particular cases. I think due process should most definitely exist in the case of Obiang in France or in the United States when his son was unable to provide an explanation for how, with an $80,000-a-year salary as minister of forestry, he was able to buy one of the largest houses in Malibu, California, or for that matter, 16 race cars, and a home worth in excess of $120 million.
I don't think I'm off base in pointing out that one example that I happened to be involved with, the Derwick case, was a signal of that failure. I do think there are gaps. One of the main gaps, I think, is that it's a state actor which has to initiate it upon receipt of a notice from a government. Why can't private individuals be enough? If Mubarak steals tens of billions of dollars and invests it in Canada, clearly the Egyptian government is not going to be blowing the whistle on its own dictator, but if a private citizen does, then it is incumbent upon Canada. Of course Canada may say, “We like our relationship with Egypt”, which is why we should have a situation where you have enough division of power and a civil service to actually follow through on these matters.
So there are things to be criticized in what's presently on the table. Now, I'm not an expert in Canadian legislation, and I'm here to help as much as I can. I was invited to do this three days ago, so forgive me, I actually flew yesterday evening from California to London, and as soon as I arrived, I went to another engagement, so work with me here. I'm happy to come back again in the future, too.