How the Crown cooked its own goose on the Duffy trial
[ http://rabble.ca/babble/canadian-politi ... uffy-trial ]
December 21st 2015 By Sandy Garossino
Crown counsel cross-examining Mike Duffy in his bribery and corruption trial didn't ask a single question concerning the $90,000 cheque lying at the heart of this case. To any trial lawyer, that's the clearest signal that they’ve given up the ghost on this trial.
Whether it's a dead duck, a turkey, or a Norwegian Blue parrot, [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vuW6tQ0218 ] the party's over for this bird. Duffy will walk on the bribery counts.
Stripped of legal flotsam and jetsam over hairdressers and personal trainers, this case was always about one thing and one thing only: the personal cheque from then PMO chief of staff Nigel Wright to Mike Duffy. Or rather, to be exact, a bank draft to Duffy’s lawyer in the amount of $90,172.24.
According to the RCMP and Crown theories, Mike Duffy accepted a bribe from Nigel Wright of same. On Thursday, the Crown quietly folded its tent.
Those charges always reeked of unfairness. Bribery, like drug trafficking, ensnares both sides in the transaction. If the Crown’s theory was that Mike Duffy had accepted a bribe from Nigel Wright, it never washed that Wright wasn’t charged.
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Full piece:
[ http://www.nationalobserver.com/2015/12 ... uffy-trial ]
How the Crown cooked its own goose on the Duffy trial
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How the Crown cooked its own goose on the Duffy trial
by Oscar » Thu Dec 24, 2015 12:03 pm
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Re: How the Crown cooked its own goose on the Duffy trial
by Oscar » Sun Nov 13, 2016 5:09 pm
RCMP passed on charging former Harper aide Nigel Wright to get his testimony in Duffy trial
[ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/pol ... e32831117/ ]
LAURA STONE OTTAWA — The Globe and Mail Published Friday, Nov. 11, 2016 8:36PM EST Last updated Friday, Nov. 11, 2016 8:37PM EST
The RCMP had enough evidence to charge Nigel Wright but chose not to proceed so that the former chief of staff could testify in the criminal trial of Senator Mike Duffy, according to documents obtained by The Globe and Mail.
With an uncertain prospect of conviction, investigators chose a path that would allow Mr. Wright to remain an “unindicted co-conspirator,” because they deemed Mr. Duffy, a sitting senator, to be of greater public interest than an unelected senior official in the Prime Minister’s Office.
The documents, obtained through a federal access-to-information request, shed light on one of the enduring mysteries of the bribery probe that exposed the inner workings of former prime minister Stephen Harper’s office: why the RCMP never charged Mr. Wright for his role in giving the senator more than $90,000 to pay off his expenses.
“While sufficient evidence does exist to support charges against Mr. Wright, the prospect of obtaining convictions relating to those offences could be limited due to the statutory requirements,” former RCMP superintendent Biage Carrese wrote in the conclusion to his April 14, 2014 report, “Investigation of Nigel Wright Gifting $90K to Senator Duffy.”
“The decision by the investigative team is that it is in the public interest to secure convictions on the charges against Senator Duffy.”
Sergeant Greg Horton, the lead investigator on the case, wrote in a March 19, 2014 report that any decision to charge Mr. Wright “must be weighed in the interest of the investigation itself, as well as what would serve the public best, irrespective of any criticism that may be levelled as a result of that decision.”
“Charges against Mr. Wright could in fact inadvertently weaken a case against Senator Duffy, who is the primary focus of this investigation,” Mr. Horton wrote.
“It would serve the public interest best for Mr. Wright to remain an unindicted co-conspirator, compelled to provide testimony against Senator Duffy relating to the material that he turned over to investigators.”
- - - SNIP - - -
Investigators also outlined their decision not to interview Mr. Harper as part of their investigation. Mr. Wright told the RCMP the former prime minister was not aware of his decision to personally cover the cost of Mr. Duffy’s expenses.
“Evidence was gathered that Prime Minister Harper was aware in general terms only that Mr. Wright and PMO staffers were dealing with the matter of Senator Duffy, but no information or evidence was gathered that he knew specifically about the $90K,” Mr. Carrese wrote.
“Based on this, there is no reason to believe that interviewing the Prime Minister would provide any additional evidence.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news
[ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/pol ... e32831117/ ]
LAURA STONE OTTAWA — The Globe and Mail Published Friday, Nov. 11, 2016 8:36PM EST Last updated Friday, Nov. 11, 2016 8:37PM EST
The RCMP had enough evidence to charge Nigel Wright but chose not to proceed so that the former chief of staff could testify in the criminal trial of Senator Mike Duffy, according to documents obtained by The Globe and Mail.
With an uncertain prospect of conviction, investigators chose a path that would allow Mr. Wright to remain an “unindicted co-conspirator,” because they deemed Mr. Duffy, a sitting senator, to be of greater public interest than an unelected senior official in the Prime Minister’s Office.
The documents, obtained through a federal access-to-information request, shed light on one of the enduring mysteries of the bribery probe that exposed the inner workings of former prime minister Stephen Harper’s office: why the RCMP never charged Mr. Wright for his role in giving the senator more than $90,000 to pay off his expenses.
“While sufficient evidence does exist to support charges against Mr. Wright, the prospect of obtaining convictions relating to those offences could be limited due to the statutory requirements,” former RCMP superintendent Biage Carrese wrote in the conclusion to his April 14, 2014 report, “Investigation of Nigel Wright Gifting $90K to Senator Duffy.”
“The decision by the investigative team is that it is in the public interest to secure convictions on the charges against Senator Duffy.”
Sergeant Greg Horton, the lead investigator on the case, wrote in a March 19, 2014 report that any decision to charge Mr. Wright “must be weighed in the interest of the investigation itself, as well as what would serve the public best, irrespective of any criticism that may be levelled as a result of that decision.”
“Charges against Mr. Wright could in fact inadvertently weaken a case against Senator Duffy, who is the primary focus of this investigation,” Mr. Horton wrote.
“It would serve the public interest best for Mr. Wright to remain an unindicted co-conspirator, compelled to provide testimony against Senator Duffy relating to the material that he turned over to investigators.”
- - - SNIP - - -
Investigators also outlined their decision not to interview Mr. Harper as part of their investigation. Mr. Wright told the RCMP the former prime minister was not aware of his decision to personally cover the cost of Mr. Duffy’s expenses.
“Evidence was gathered that Prime Minister Harper was aware in general terms only that Mr. Wright and PMO staffers were dealing with the matter of Senator Duffy, but no information or evidence was gathered that he knew specifically about the $90K,” Mr. Carrese wrote.
“Based on this, there is no reason to believe that interviewing the Prime Minister would provide any additional evidence.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news
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