Premier denies wrongdoing

New court motion filed from man behind e-gaming scandal

Notice of an impending lawsuit filed by Paul Maines of e-gaming fame has alleged P.E.I. Premier Dennis King used a private email account to circumvent the province’s freedom of information laws.

King has denied the allegations in an affidavit. The allegations have not been proven in court.

A notice of action was filed on Sept. 17 by Paul Maines, an officer of 7645686 Canada Inc. Maines and 7645686 Canada Inc. are in the midst of a $50-million lawsuit against the provincial government.

The notice names King and three other defendants – Allan Campbell, Chris LeClair and Jeffery Reynolds. Both Campbell and LeClair were named defendants in Maines’ other lawsuit against the province, but their names were struck from the proceedings in an October 2020 P.E.I. Court of Appeal ruling. Friday’s filings do not include details on the identity of Reynolds.

Campbell works with the Atlantic Canada Aerospace and Defense Association and was a former chief of staff to former premier Robert Ghiz. LeClair was also a former chief of staff to Ghiz and is currently a lobbyist with the firm Policy Intel Inc.

The filing alleges King received an email sent to a Progressive Conservative Party email – dennis@peipc.ca – on May 20, 2021 from Campbell. The email, a screenshot of which is included in the filings, appears to be an invitation to King, LeClair and Reynolds to a meeting at Sims Corner Steakhouse & Oyster Bar in Charlottetown to discuss a “gamesys proposal.”

Gamesys is an online gaming and software company listed on the London Stock Exchange. The company’s website identifies three brands the company operates, including Rainbow Riches Casino and Virgin Games.

The filing alleges the four met at Sims Restaurant on May 21, 2021 before proceeding to a cottage in Rustico.

The filing also alleges Gamesys is linked to a former company known as Newcourt Capital and an individual named Keith Laslop. The filings allege that in 2012, officials with the P.E.I. government engaged in “surreptitious discussions” with Laslop to develop “an online gaming payment processing platform for P.E.I.”

Laslop is identified as the chief financial officer on the Gamesys website.

Maines’ filings also include an affidavit penned by private investigator Derrick Snowdy. Snowdy said he was informed by a confidential informant, who he refers to as “Smith”, of “a conspiracy” to evade P.E.I.’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Snowdy’s affidavit alleges he was told by this informant that King told him and other individuals to use only the dennis@peipc.ca email account to contact him about “a clandestine e-gaming file” involving Gamesys.

“Smith informed me that Mr. King specifically stated that this should be done to

ensure that the plaintiff, Paul Maines, and another individual (Kevin Arsenault), could not obtain information about what was going on through the FOIPPA process.”

Snowdy alleges his informant said King, Campbell, Reynolds and LeClair discussed “various business schemes in which the gaming industry opportunity in P.E.I. could personally benefit the attendees.”

Snowdy is best known for passing on information in 2010 to federal Conservative officials about the financial and personal misdealings of former MP Helena Guergis and her husband, former MP Rahim Jaffer. While the scandal resulted in Guergis’ resignation, the RCMP later found no wrongdoings related to Guergis.

Snowdy has been dubbed “Canada’s most infamous private eye” by Vice News.

In his affidavit, King denies that he instructed individuals to contact him through the Conservative email account, that he received the May 20, 2021 email and that he attended any meeting at Sims Restaurant on May 21, 2021.

He also denies having any communication about Gamesys or about a “Gamesys proposal.”

“On May 21, 2021, I was with my family at a public location,” King said in the affidavit.

Maines is seeking $2 million in damages from the four defendants.

Maines’ 2018 statement of claim against the provincial government alleged a number of officials involved in the egaming initiative had illegally deleted emails and government records documenting the discussions related to the initiative.

These claims were struck down in a 2020 P.E.I. Court of Appeal ruling, although the lawsuit was allowed to proceed provided that claims were limited to examining whether a 2012 agreement between Maines’ company and the province was breached.

The e-gaming initiative was a failed attempt by the Liberal government of Robert Ghiz that attempted to establish P.E.I. as a regulatory hub for online gambling.