VANCOUVER, BC -- July 21, 2008 -- Michael Farnsworth, house leader of the British Columbia NDP has said that directors of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) should be held accountable for failing to provide adequate oversight while employees participated in a controversial scheme to buy damaged vehicles repaired fixed up at its collision repair training facility.

“This is a significant blow to the public view of ICBC,” said Farnsworth. “The government needs to move and make not only changes in polices and procedures but also changes at the board level.”

Solicitor-General John van Dongen – the man responsible for ICBC – has defended the board’s integrity and the reappointment of three members. Van Dongen has stated that the board continues to have the full confidence of the provincial government, pointing out that the directors acted immediately when the problem first came to light, even hiring outside consultants to conduct an investigation.

As reported on collisionrepairmag.com , an external audit of ICBC's material damage, research and training facility found that 55 damaged vehicles sold through auction were later resold to senior managers, employees and others who were either friends or relatives of employees. Five of the vehicles were later resold by the insiders for a profit. The audit – conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers - also found that concerns about activities at ICBC reported by whistleblowers on three separate occasions were not properly investigated.

Geri Prior, ICBC’s CEO, has said the situation created the appearance of conflict of interest, and polices have since been amended to clearly state that employees should not purchase salvaged vehicles.

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