RCMP likely to decide on Duffy charges within weeks

Mounties investigating suspended senator’s exchange with Tories’ chief fundraiser

OTTAWA— A decision on whether to lay criminal charges against suspended Sen. Mike Duffy is expected within weeks, and could shine a light on Duffy’s discussions with Conservative Sen. Irving Gerstein, sources told the Star.

The Star has learned the RCMP is investigating Duffy’s communications with Gerstein, the Conservative party’s chief fundraiser who steers the party’s war chest. That’s in addition to investigating Duffy’s claims for reimbursement of living expenses, and his use of Senate resources to give contracts to a friend who admits he did little work in return.

Duffy’s exchanges with Gerstein, believed to be aimed at seeking help to cover his costs, were closely examined by the Mounties, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter.

Gerstein is not under investigation by the RCMP.

So far, much of the public attention has been on Duffy’s entreaties last year to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s former chief of staff Nigel Wright to help him repay his inappropriately claimed Senate expenses.

In the 80-page RCMP affidavit connected to the RCMP’s Duffy-Wright probe that was released by a court in November, emails turned over by Wright showed Duffy claimed through his lawyer he should be “kept whole” — not be out of pocket — because of “his time on the road on behalf of the party,” the RCMP said.

In that affidavit, the RCMP cited its interview with Wright and said Gerstein at one point agreed to cover Duffy’s costs when they believed the total was about $32,000, but balked when the bill was revealed to be $90,000.

Gerstein ultimately agreed, however, that the party would cover Duffy’s legal bill, which amounted to about $13,560, or $12,000 plus tax.

Wright eventually wrote a $90,000 cheque to Duffy to repay what the government considered inappropriate claims by Duffy, telling the RCMP he did so to ensure taxpayers’ money was refunded.

The RCMP formally dropped its probe into Wright’s actions on Tuesday.

The RCMP had sent its analysis of the results of its inquiry into Wright’s role in all of it to the Ottawa Crown attorney’s office for consultation. However, it was the RCMP that made the decision to formally drop Wright as a target of the criminal probe, sources said.

In that lengthy affidavit by Cpl. Greg Horton filed in the DuffyWright affair last fall, the RCMP said Gerstein had asked if he could assist in resolving the political embarrassment that Duffy’s Senate expenses had become.

It also referred to emails that Gerstein had “provided to investigators.” The RCMP said the PMO asked Gerstein to approach Deloitte, the firm hired to audit the Senate expenses of former Conservatives Duffy, Patrick Brazeau, Pamela Wallin and former Liberal Mac Harb.