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Pinnock’s bombshell comments have attracted Eby’s attention, who revealed that Pinnock is scheduled to speak to government officials next month.

“This is a whistleblower opportunity for Mr. Pinnock to disclose everything that he has in order to assist government in deciding whether a public inquiry is warranted,” Eby told me.

He said the government has retained an outside lawyer to interview Pinnock, who has also been provided legal counsel.

“He needed legal advice from someone outside of government,” Eby said. “We facilitated for him to access legal advice and to have a lawyer present.”

He said the government also decided to retain its own outside counsel to deal with the politically charged file.

“We wanted someone from outside of government, with no connection to any file, to ensure that we get the best advice possible about the information that Mr. Pinnock has,” Eby said.

Eby said the information provided by Pinnock will be crucial to the decision on whether the government moves ahead with a full-blown public inquiry into money laundering.

“We haven’t ruled it out,” Eby said.

But I doubt such a public inquiry will take place.

Public inquiries can last for years and cost a fortune. And any effective inquiry will have to examine the conduct of the police and not just Liberal politicians.

The political fact of this case is that the New Democrats are taking great delight in raking the Liberals over the coals for their record in government, and they don’t need an expensive, lengthy and unpredictable public inquiry to accomplish that political end.

Don’t expect a public inquiry to happen. But Pinnock’s allegations are serious and disturbing, and warrant a full investigation.

msmyth@postmedia.com

twitter.com/MikeSmythNews

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