The Cullen Commission into money laundering in the province began this week and one legal expert is weighing in on what the implications could be.

Associate professor at TRU’s Faculty of Law, Robert Diab was on the NL Morning News and was asked if he thought if evidence brought to light at the inquiry could lead to any possible criminal charges. “That could be the case. There will be extensive submissions and evidence being called and a lot of detail explored which could uncover wrong doing by certain individuals”

Diab said while charges could come out of it but that wasn’t the main focus of the inquiry. “The thrust of the inquiry is really to get at structural features of the regulatory landscape that lead money launderers to come to Vancouver and BC more broadly because there are either loop holes or there are gaps in the law that make this an easy place to move money without being traced.”

Preliminary findings from the commission are due in November while the final report is scheduled to be done in March of next year.