Vancouver lawyer Michael Bolton likely defended thousands of people over 50 years of practice. But in the end, he would not get a chance to defend himself.
Bolton, one of the country’s most prominent and experienced criminal defence lawyers, died in hospital on June 24, according to two friends.
The Law Society of British Columbia had accused Bolton of inappropriately moving more than $20 million in suspicious funds(opens in a new tab) on behalf of clients under criminal investigation in the United States through his law firm’s trust accounts.
The law society’s December 2022 citation of Bolton said he engaged in activities that could have “assisted in or encouraged dishonesty, crime or fraud.” In the alternative, the society said, Bolton had not done enough to avoid “becoming the tool or dupe of an unscrupulous client or other persons.”
Bolton, who denied those allegations, was scheduled to appear at a law society tribunal in early June. On June 25, the citation of Bolton was rescinded(opens in a new tab).
Christine Tam, a spokesperson for the law society, repeatedly declined to say why the citation was rescinded or confirm if it was because Bolton had died.
Former B.C. attorney general Wally Oppal, a close friend of Bolton, said the Vancouver lawyer had been treated in hospital for months after battling a long illness related to pneumonia.
Read the full story https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/prominent-vancouver-lawyer-accused-of-moving-criminal-cash-dies-before-hearing-1.6970663
