The incorruptible corporal

It was in 1991 that Brian McAdam, an immigration control office at the Canadian High Commission in Hong Kong (now known as the consulate general), alleged that Asian criminal gangs, known as triads, had broken into a computer there. Mr. McAdam alerted the Department of External Affairs, and the RCMP...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inAlberta report Vol. 26; no. 35; p. 9
Main Author Thompson, Wendy-Anne
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Edmonton United Western Communications 13.09.1999
Subjects
Immigration
Laws & regulations
Organized crime
Police & crime
Read, Robert
Canada
Hong Kong United Kingdom
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:It was in 1991 that Brian McAdam, an immigration control office at the Canadian High Commission in Hong Kong (now known as the consulate general), alleged that Asian criminal gangs, known as triads, had broken into a computer there. Mr. McAdam alerted the Department of External Affairs, and the RCMP began an investigation the following year. Investigators found that 788 files containing highly classified information on businessmen and criminals had been deleted from the Computer Assisted Immigration Processing System. The tampering is believed to have been carried out by locally hired staff linked to triads. Vancouver Province writer Fabian Dawson reported last month that a key suspect in the case now lives in North Vancouver. Officers also investigated the disappearance of about 2,000 blank visa forms. Surrey Reform MP Gurmant Grewal goes even further, and accuses Liberal politicians and corrupt RCMP officers of masterminding a cover-up. He also charges the Hong Kong consulate is not Canada's only overseas office tainted by corruption. Citing an incident at the Delhi office, where four employees were fired after they would not issue visas unless they received under-the-table money, Mr. Grewal says bribery is commonplace. "We believe in good faith and integrity in the system. That is now lost," Mr. Grewal declares. "We need to fix the system but there is no political will to do it. What are they afraid of finding out?"
ISSN:0225-0519