A criminal investigation into potential financial wrongdoings at the Thompson-Nicola Regional District has been forwarded to a federal police unit that specializes in such probes.
On March 23, the regional district gave information concerning potential financial irregularities to the Kamloops RCMP.
The Financial Integrity Sensitive Investigations Unit is now reviewing the case.
The TNRD’s decision to send the information to police for a possible criminal investigation comes on the heels of a Kamloops This Week investigation into spending at the regional district between 2015 and 2020, during which a TNRD-issued credit card showed numerous charges for parties and to coffee shops, high-end restaurants, wineries, luxury hotels and liquor stores.
READ MORE: Steakhouses, champagne rooms and almond chai bars: ‘Excessive’ spending at the TNRD
The Kamloops This Week stories followed an article in 2018 that detailed hundreds of thousands of dollars in overtime billed by regional district to the provincial government in connection to the floods and wildfires of 2017.
In total, the TNRD billed Victoria $582,000 in overtime costs. The declared state of emergency was in place for 10 weeks.
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