Lawyer for Harper says Duffy verdict a wake-up call
OTTAWA— Stephen Harper’s lawyer says Sen. Mike Duffy’s acquittal should be a wake-up call to public institutions and authorities that can hold politicians “to live up to their duty” and punish actions that are questionable, even if they’re not criminal.
But both the auditor general and the Senate say there’s nothing more for them to do in Duffy’s case.
The office of federal auditor general Michael Ferguson says it won’t audit Duffy’s spending or other senators’ expenses unless the Senate makes a specific request.
As for the Senate, it has already punished Duffy. He faced an audit, his expenses were repaid and then he was suspended without pay for two years, forfeiting more than $250,000.
In a statement, Conservative Sen. Leo Housakos and Liberal Sen. Jane Cordy, the chair and vice-chair of the Senate committee that oversees spending, said Duffy and senators Pamela Wallin and Patrick Brazeau “were audited by Deloitte and were dealt with accordingly, including reimbursement of funds and suspension.”
In an op-ed written for Postmedia newspapers, Harper’s lawyer Robert Staley wrote that Harper “stood to account for the ethical behaviour” in his office and government, adding it is “hard to imagine how this responsibility could have been borne more acutely.”
He argued that other “authorities that can hold individuals to account” must “live up to their duty and define the consequence of behaviour that falls short of criminal.”
Staley wrote that the former prime minister played no role in the decision by the RCMP and Crown attorneys to charge and prosecute Duffy. He said it’s impossible to believe Harper’s interests were well-served by a raft of criminal charges that culminated in a politically charged, high-profile trial during an election year.
Justice Vaillancourt last week acquitted Duffy of all 31fraud, breach of trust and bribery charges, saying the Crown failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Vaillancourt said Duffy’s actions weren’t criminal, even if they raised eyebrows, including a consulting contract provided to Duffy’s one-time personal trainer.
After the acquittal, the Senate restored Duffy to full standing, giving him access to all the resources of his office.