Nigel Wright has told the bribery trial of Mike Duffy that he and he alone decided to give Duffy $90,000 to repay improper expenses. When asked if the Prime Minister knew what he was doing, the wealthy former chief of staff said “No.” Wright testified that the plan to cover Duffy’s expenses, originally thought to be $32,000, was not known to Harper, who has said that be believed Duffy would be repaying the money out of his own pocket. When it was learned the amount of the expenses was $90,000, Wright said he was very annoyed. The party backed out of paying the larger sum, Wright said. And, according to Wright, Harper didn’t even know there was a plan for the Conservative party to repay the expenses. Wright’s curious “good to go” line about the prime minister’s approval referred to how the controversy would be addressed in the media and that the money would be repaid — not an endorsement of repayment by the party. Wright indicated that the plan was for Duffy to say he had made a mistake and intended to pay back the money. “I told (Harper) that Sen. Duffy was agreeing to repay,” Wright said.
CROWN’S CASE DOES NOT SEEM STRONG
It is the view of more than one lawyer that the Crown may be trying to wring a conviction out of rather weak evidence. On CTV’s Power Play today Ottawa criminal lawyer Michael Spratt said the testimony is having the opposite effect of what the Crown was probably hoping for. “It’s a bit of an ironic situation that we find ourselves in,” said Spratt. “This is about quid pro quo, and corruption, and sort of nefarious dealing, and Nigel Wright seems to testify that it was quite the opposite.” Wright’s assertion that the Prime Minister was not aware that Wright would help Duffy repay his expenses doesn’t do much for the Crown’s case, Spratt said. Some lawyers might ask what the Crown expected. This outcome might have been foreseen. The trial resumes Thursday.
