Mr. Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) has insisted through the controversy that he learned for the first time on May 15 this year, after CTV asked the PMO questions about a deal, that Mr. Wright drew on his own bank account to give Sen. Duffy the money as the government attempted to end the growing controversy last February. He repeated his position on Tuesday reacting in the Commons to questions over the latest evidence filed in court as part of an RCMP attempt to obtain even more material from Parliament.
But a chain of emails RCMP Cpl. Greg Horton filed in court earlier Tuesday shows Mr. Wright was keeping Mr. Harper informed about negotiations with Sen. Duffy’s lawyer, Janice Payne, as the PMO was attempting to kill the storm over Sen. Duffy’s housing allowance and end the controversy by paying off Sen. Duffy's expenses.
Cpl. Horton, whose court affidavit otherwise expressed what appears to be his point of view that Sen. Duffy was establishing conditions on which he would agree to repay his expenses to end the furor, quoted from a chain of emails that began last Feb. 21, when Ms. Payne emailed PMO lawyer Benjamin Perrin with a list of five conditions on which Sen. Duffy would agree to repay his expenses.
The conditions included confirmation that the powerful Senate Internal Economy Committee, in charge of a review of Senators’ expenses, would confirm Sen. Duffy had been withdrawn from a Deloitte forensic examination of expense claims by several Senators; that he would not be the subject of any further activity or review by the committee, the Senate or anyone else; and that the two sides would agree to “media lines” to explain the developments in public. The government would also agree to a written acknowledgment that Sen. Duffy met the residency and other requirements to sit as a Senator from Prince Edward Island, and that the PMO would ensure it would take all reasonable efforts to ensure that “members of the Conservative caucus, if they speak on this matter, do so in a fashion that is consistent with the agreed media lines.”
Sen. Duffy’s expenses were being scrutinized because he was claiming his long-time Ottawa home as a secondary residence while he claimed a former cottage in P.E.I. as his primary residence in order to get the $21,000 housing allowance.
“As his apparent ineligibility for the housing allowance stems from his time on the road on behalf of the party, there will be an arrangement to keep him whole on the repayment. His legal fees will also be reimbursed,” Ms. Payne’s email says.
Mr. Wright, in an email to Mr. Perrin discussing Ms. Payne’s positions, indicates an understanding on his part that Ms. Payne was referring to Mr. Duffy’s legal costs as well as what was then understood to be a repayment of $32,000 in housing allowance payments for his Ottawa house.
“I do not know the amount of the legal fees and their reasonableness, so that has to be disclosed forthwith. Without acknowledging the accuracy of the premise of this item [that party work and travel was the main reason for Sen. Duffy’s expenses], the party is open to keeping Sen. Duffy whole since it is clear that any overpayments were innocently received. I have a call into the party to confirm this as I think that the Senator has a right to have it confirmed,” Mr. Wright said in the email to Mr. Perrin.
Mr. Wright said he had a call in to the party, meaning Conservative Senator Irving Gerstein, who also chairs the party’s fundraising arm, the Conservative Fund Canada.
In the chain of emails, starting with Ms. Payne’s on Feb. 21 and including emails between Mr. Wright and Mr. Perrin through to Feb. 22, Mr. Wright stated twice that he was keeping Mr. Harper informed about the negotiations.
“Ben, please go back to Ms. Payne on these points and ascertain where they stand on everything else,” Mr. Wright wrote to Mr. Perrin late on Feb. 22. “I do want to speak to the PM before everything is considered final.”
Cpl. Horton’s affidavit states that “Less than an hour later, Nigel Wright followed up with an e-mail stating ‘We are good to go from the PM once Ben has confirmation from Payne.’” He did not disclose to whom Mr. Wright sent that email.
Sen. Gerstein has denied the party would have paid any of Sen. Duffy’s expenses, but confirmed it did pay Ms. Payne $13,000 in legal costs on Sen. Duffy’s behalf.
But the Prime Minister ducked questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday about the earlier negotiations between Sen. Duffy and Mr. Wright and other top Conservatives. “Once again, what the RCMP has confirmed in its documents today is that two individuals, Mr. Duffy and Mr. Wright, are under investigation for their actions in this affair and it has also confirmed that this Prime Minister has been telling exactly the truth,” Mr. Harper said in response to a question from NDP Leader Tom Mulcair (Outremont, Que.).
Mr. Mulcair said during Question Period: “In those documents what Nigel Wright does in fact say is that the Prime Minister knew that he had ‘personally assisted Mike Duffy with repaying his expenses.’ Did the Prime Minister ask Nigel Wright what personal assistance he had given to Mike Duffy, yes or no?”
Mr. Harper replied: “The RCMP interviewed Mr. Wright on this question and he was extremely clear. He said he did not tell the Prime Minister of his eventual personal decision to pay the $90,000 to Senator Duffy. It could not be clearer from Mr. Wright or from the RCMP. The hon. member should accept it.”
Original Article
Source: hilltimes.com
Author: Tim Naumetz
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