Former B.C. solicitor general's brothers deny misconduct allegations

The brothers of former B.C. solicitor general John Les say they tried to keep him out of land development issues when he was mayor of Chilliwack and say they're surprised Les is the subject of an RCMP investigation over allegations of improper conduct.

Corney Les, a real estate agent in Chilliwack, and Larry Les, a major developer in the city, told CBC News Monday that they know nothing about the RCMP investigation into commercial transactions involving land developers relating to his brother.

"These allegations are obviously very serious," said Corney Les. "We'vealways done everything we can to keep John out of any development issues or whatever as a family."

Larry Les said his brother would never get involved in anysort ofimpropriety at Chilliwack City Hall when he was mayor.

"If anything, we were held to a higher standard because we had a relative at city hall and not the other way around."

John Les was a Chilliwack municipal councillor for three years before serving as mayor from 1987 to 1999. He was elected to the provincial legislature to represent the riding of Chilliwack-Sumas in 2001, and became solicitor general after being re-elected in 2005.

On Monday afternoon,the Opposition pounded the government during question period, asking why senior officials, including the premier and attorney general, weren't told about the RCMPprobe.

"Will we have to ask every week if there's a cabinet minister who's the subject of an investigation?" asked Mike Farnworth, Opposition house leader and the New Democratic Party's critic for public safety and the solicitor general.

'Will we have to ask every week if there's a cabinet minister who's the subject of an investigation?' NDP house leader Mike Farnworth

Les told reporters at the legislature in Victoria after question period that he did notbenefit from any land deals that involved removing agricultural land from the province's Agricultural Land Reserve during his time as mayor of Chilliwack.

Neither he, nor his family, who have been involved in property development projects in Chilliwack, benefited from commercial transactions involving the removal of protected agricultural land, Les said.

"No," the former solicitor general and current MLA for Chilliwack-Sumassaid when a reporter asked him this question. Les resigned from his cabinet post Friday after learning he was the subject of the RCMP investigation.

"We're probably getting into areas that are being investigated and I think the best thing for me is to allow the police and the special prosecutor to thoroughly research all of that and come up with the appropriate answers," Les said.

He also said Monday that he has nothing to hide and has not hired a lawyer.

CBC News inquiries led the province's criminal justice branchto gopublic about the RCMP investigation Friday, admitting a special prosecutor had been appointed in June 2007.

But Attorney General Wally Oppal, who's assuming the duties of thesolicitor general, said Monday that by law the justice branch had no obligation to reveal such information earlier or it could have compromised the integrity of the investigation.

'Our system separates the political arm and political considerations from the independence that is required to investigate and prosecute cases.' B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal

"Our system is regarded as one of the best in the world in that it separates the political arm and political considerations from the independence that is required to investigate and prosecute cases," Oppal said.

Les told reporters on Monday that he didn't try to find out the nature of the investigation.

"When I found out [about] that investigation on Friday, the most important thing for me to do at the time was to do what I did that is step aside from my responsibilities as solicitor general," he said Monday.

The Opposition New Democrats said when cabinet ministers connected to policing or the premier are the subjects of legal investigations, the public should always be told.

"Is there anyone right now in government who is under investigation?" asked NDP Leader Carole James.

"According to the attorney general and the premier, it doesn't matter. They're not asking the questions. Well, it shouldn't take the media to get the information out there," she said.