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Bob Mackin

British Columbia’s tourism minister held a news conference Aug. 27 at a business managed by a Richmond man facing a high-profile lawsuit from the province’s Civil Forfeiture Office.

theBreaker.news asked NDP Minister Lisa Beare whether she was aware that Paul King Jin was involved with the World Champion Club in Richmond and whether her office had assessed the venue for security reasons.

“This was a venue chosen through the athletic commissioner’s office as a possible venue, and that is news to me,” Beare said.

Jin was present at the boxing and MMA gym near the south foot of No. 5 Road while Beare announced legalization of professional kickboxing in B.C. Jin appeared in a group photo with Beare beside one of the rings.

The government sued Jin on March 15 in a bid to seize more than $5 million in cash and assets that it claims are the proceeds of money laundering and loan sharking. In a brief interview, Jin said he is an innocent and hard-working man, but said his lawyer advised him not to discuss his case.

None of the allegations against Jin have been proven in court. He filed a defence statement on July 31 that denied every allegation made by the Civil Forfeiture Office. Jin also claimed the RCMP infringed his and others Charter rights during various investigations.

“Jin has been a citizen of Canada for over 25 years. He has been engaged in the sports of boxing and martial arts for most of his life, and has been a participant and coach in these sports at the international and national levels, both in Canada and abroad,” said his defence statement. “Mr. Jin has engaged in numerous forms of lawful employment over the course of his life, including while in Canada, and has been successful in lawfully producing income for himself and his family in the process.”

Jin’s defence statement also stated that the money, casino chips and miscellaneous personal property previously seized from him were acquired lawfully and legitimately.

theBreaker.news asked Jin for comment on the allegations.

“Nobody who charged me, nothing, four years already,” Jin said. “I work hard and teach young people to work hard in Canada.”

Jin said he came to Canada 30 years ago after meeting a Canadian boxing coach in East Germany. He said he enjoys the weather and multiculturalism. “Otherwise, I don’t want to talk anything besides that,” he said.

“I love the country, Canada is a better country, I travel to over 50 countries. I want to give the young kids Olympic dreams.” A sign in the lobby says World Champion Club is the North American training base for the Chinese boxing federation.

The government’s lawsuit alleges RCMP officers watched Jin, during a period of several months in 2015, as he shuttled boxes and bags of cash between the Silver International underground bank, his Water Cube massage parlour and residences in Richmond. The government alleges that Jin and associates are connected to 140 casino transactions totalling $23.5 million and that he ran illegal gambling houses on No. 4 Road and Brighouse Way in Richmond. He was banned from B.C. casinos in 2015.

“Mr. Jin has a criminal record with convictions for aggravated assault, sexual assault and sexual exploitation,” said the government’s court filing. “Mr. Jin had been identified by BCLC as being involved in cash deliveries to high-stakes gamblers at casinos in the Lower Mainland.”

The criminal case against Silver International and its principals, Caixuan Qin and Jian Jun Zhu, collapsed last November and the charges were stayed when federal prosecutors errantly exposed the name of an informant. A trial had been scheduled to begin in January.

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