Reversing an earlier decision, the British Columbia government has announced a public inquiry will be held in the case of a native man who died of exposure after police left him in a Vancouver alley.

"I've discussed the matter with the premier and he and I have decided a public inquiry is in order," Solicitor General John Les told a news conference on Thursday.

Solicitor General John Les said Thursday that many questions remain to be answered in the case of Frank Paul.
(Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

Frank Paul died in 1998 after police removed him from a jail cell and left him in a lane, intoxicated.

The inquiry is being held in light of new information CBC News reported earlier this week about a corrections officer who claims the internal police investigation was a sham.

Greg Firlotte told CBC News he helped drag Paul to a police van in December 1998. Paul, a Mi'kmaq man from New Brunswick, was later found in an alley.

An internal police review concluded that a police van driver dumped Paul, 47, in the alley. The van driver was suspended for a day.

Firlotte said the Vancouver Police Department didn't want to find the truth.

"I've never been interviewed by the VPD," he told CBC News on Monday. "How can you have somebody die who was in the custody of the VPD … and I'm one of the principals, and I've never been interviewed?

"I think they did what they felt they had to do to protect the department's reputation."

Speaking Thursday, Les said there were many unanswered questions surrounding Paul's death.

"The news reports of the last week or so [are] clearly raising again the spectre of unanswered questions, evidence not considered, testimony not obtained," he said.

The inquiry, to be conducted by police complaint commissioner Dirk Ryneveld, is expected to begin within two months. Ryneveld recommended a public inquiry into the case three years ago, but his recommendation was rejected by the provincial government.