Tories deny sitting on extradition request for businessman

TORONTO – The Federal Conservatives rejected the suggestion on Tuesday that they sat on an extradition request from the United States for a businessman who is close to senior cabinet ministers.

Nathan Jacobson, a philanthropist and businessman who was friendly with Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, was arrested Thursday in his Toronto home on a provisional warrant granted after a request by the federal justice department.

Fugitive Businessman With Tory Ties Arrested In Toronto

Fugitive Nathan Jacobson, whose ties to the federal Conservatives made him the subject of recent Question Period queries from opposition benches, was arrested at his home in Toronto Thursday afternoon.

The Winnipeg-born businessman had his bail denied in Toronto court Friday and remains in Toronto's West Detention Centre awaiting another appearance Oct. 31.

Opposition demands Tories return donations from fugitive businessman

OTTAWA – The Conservative Party didn’t respond Friday to opposition demands that it return thousands of dollars in donations it has received from fugitive businessman Nathan Jacobson.

For the second week in a row, Conservative MPs declined to answer questions from the Liberals about the money from Jacobson, who pleaded guilty to money-laundering connected to an illegal online pharmacy in San Diego in 2008.

Jacobson was released by American authorities and the plea deal was sealed, after which he became active in Canadian philanthropic and Conservative political circles, sponsoring charity events and becoming close to Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.

Who’s the man between the prime ministers?

Whatever the relationship between Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Nathan Jacobson, the high-flying Canadian businessman now a fugitive from U.S. justice, one thing is certain: they certainly didn’t just run into each other at a “community event” as the PMO claims.

Jacobson had an intimate relationship with several senior Harper cabinet ministers, paid off a CSIS agent while doing business in Russia, and apparently finessed a secret settlement out of the Canadian government under the Liberal administration of Jean Chretien even though the government denied ruining Jacobson’s business interests abroad.