tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post3802402959472095043..comments2024-03-22T05:20:44.167-07:00Comments on The Disaffected Lib: The Duffy ArchivesThe Mound of Soundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-32678765194068954132015-08-15T19:25:22.440-07:002015-08-15T19:25:22.440-07:00Duffy obviously received a bribe, an "immacul...Duffy obviously received a bribe, an "immaculate bribe" in the curious minds of the RCMP. How exactly that works is novel at the very least. It seems to stray into the realm of extortion but that's a different charge under the Criminal Code.<br /><br />Can Wright still be charged? I see no reason why not although he's probably cinched some sweetheart immunity deal in exchange for returning to Canada to testify.<br /><br />The entire business is very muddled, enough that my cynical mind wonders whether this isn't set up to end with an acquittal - case closed/scandal resolved sort of thing - that, at this point, would be the best possible outcome for Shifty & his minions.The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-8670701894503060612015-08-15T18:32:01.571-07:002015-08-15T18:32:01.571-07:00Is Duffy charged with bribery or with receiving a ...Is Duffy charged with bribery or with receiving a bribe? I still don't understand how Nigel not being charged didn't exonerate Duffy. Obviously there is a precedent, because there's now a trial. Are they saying that Duffy was the instigator of the bribe? Bayne seems to be showing that Wright in fact did give Duffy the $90k with conditions, in other words a bribe. Can Wright still be charged?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07842215982128591742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-65234080493004525102015-08-15T15:31:34.739-07:002015-08-15T15:31:34.739-07:00Only I expect the feds would try to raise Crown im...Only I expect the feds would try to raise Crown immunity although these are proceeds of crime knowingly received as such as a result of the conspiracy hatched in the PMO.The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-13448758390393567502015-08-15T15:30:11.773-07:002015-08-15T15:30:11.773-07:00Robert, here's a European Union study on civil...Robert, here's a European Union study on civil forfeiture. The Canadian experience is examined beginning at page 49.<br /><br />http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/cooperation/economiccrime/corruption/Publications/CAR/Impact%20Study%20on%20Civil%20Forfeiture_EN.pdfThe Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-16841535632738579142015-08-15T15:26:48.561-07:002015-08-15T15:26:48.561-07:00@ Robert, well you've certainly opened another...@ Robert, well you've certainly opened another can of worms.<br /><br />Let's see. The Crown's theory is that by Duffy taking money from Wright he committed the crime of receiving a bribe. That would make the $90,000 "proceeds of crime."<br /><br />Proceeds of crime are subject to forfeiture and can be traceable into the hands of the ultimate recipient in some circumstances. Here the ultimate recipient was the government of Canada, a government headed by an individual whose minions were culpable and even orchestrated the impugned transaction. <br /><br />Could it be argued that the government of Canada cannot claim to have received those monies with clean hands? If so, I suppose the money might be traceable into the government's hands and arguably recoverable. At this point it all gets insanely circular. I think I'm getting a headache.<br /><br />As for Duffy, perhaps the government should refund Nigel's 90-grand and, instead, levy a charge for that amount plus interest and penalties against Duffy's assets (if there are any not fully encumbered at this point). Now that he's back on the Senate payroll perhaps they could garnishee his stipend.The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-52132273051596021782015-08-15T15:16:52.885-07:002015-08-15T15:16:52.885-07:00@ A..non. That does sound obvious, doesn't it?...@ A..non. That does sound obvious, doesn't it? Ol' Shifty wants to be the skipper but doesn't want the responsibility that always falls to the captain of a ship. Think Harry Truman and the sign on his desk "The Buck Stops Here."The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-68313990367926081392015-08-15T13:01:58.536-07:002015-08-15T13:01:58.536-07:00So Wright's biblical reference makes me believ...So Wright's biblical reference makes me believe he thinks he paid tithes, a contribution....a tax deductible contribution?<br /><br />And he paid back the money Duffy owed so the Senate is happy but what about the money that Duffy himself benefited from. Why is he able to keep it? Wright paid from his own pocket but what about the benefit to Duffy, does he keep that? Tax free?Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10067723500833829420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-55726829003912666062015-08-15T13:01:06.065-07:002015-08-15T13:01:06.065-07:00This is trite but somehow not highlighted enough: ...This is trite but somehow not highlighted enough: the fella who "apparently" did not know what his closest advisers were doing is unfit to taking care of his minions not even mention the country...<br />A..nonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-50170234556821602282015-08-15T11:33:36.868-07:002015-08-15T11:33:36.868-07:00Anyong said...they ought to have gotten rid of Duf...Anyong said...they ought to have gotten rid of Duffy but they didn't and began stick handling him to their chagrin. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-18830286297366173282015-08-15T10:35:52.669-07:002015-08-15T10:35:52.669-07:00As far as I know the details are only partly known...As far as I know the details are only partly known except by the parties and their counsel. We know there were two cheques that went to Duffy's solicitors. <br /><br />One conveyed Wright's money. That was sent, apparently under Ben Perrin's transmittal letter. That would have been sent in trust and deposited to the firm's trust account. The letter would have specified conditions, "undertakings" prescribing the terms upon which the monies could be released.<br /><br />The second cheque came from the Conservative Party, apparently from Hamilton, to cover Duffy's legal fees and costs. That would have gone into the firm's general accounts.<br /><br />I've not seen Perrin's letter. It will become part of the trial record. All I know is that the money went from the PMO to Nelligan O'Brien Payne and, from there, wound up with - I'm not really sure. Would it go to the Official Receiver? Hmm, I'll have to keep an eye out for the details. Who knows?The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-39966455130243924592015-08-15T09:24:59.759-07:002015-08-15T09:24:59.759-07:00Maybe someone can help me with a loose end.
Yeste...Maybe someone can help me with a loose end.<br /><br />Yesterday testimony touched on the cheque going into a Payne & co trust account and another cheque issued to the treasury ; seemingly to keep the funds out of Duffy's hands.<br /><br />Was the cheque made out to Duffy ? Did the money ever make into a Duffy bank account ? Did Duffy write a cheque to the treasury ? rumleyfipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03346146988416679423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-46243398781180720552015-08-15T09:13:57.251-07:002015-08-15T09:13:57.251-07:00Rumley, Part Two.
Duffy (and Wallin) got carried ...Rumley, Part Two.<br /><br />Duffy (and Wallin) got carried away dipping into the petty cash box. Expensing Florida holidays is a bit much after all.<br /><br />Other expenses were incurred not on behalf of the Senate but the Conservative Party and should have been paid by the party. However Harper has established a culture of using the taxpayers to fund such things as hundreds of millions of dollars in thinly disguised government (campaign) TV ads. Duffy did pretty much the same thing for a few grand here and a few grand there.<br /><br />Now it must be said that Duffy and Wallin were well experienced in this sort of in-house larceny from their days in the upper ranks of Canadian broadcasting. Especially once you break into a national-level position, you can genuinely lard your pantry when it comes to the old expense account. Their Senate shenanigans were just a continuation, old hat. The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-68505731847229599412015-08-15T09:07:17.021-07:002015-08-15T09:07:17.021-07:00@ Rumley. Wright knew that there was a special dea...@ Rumley. Wright knew that there was a special deal between Harper and Duffy (and to a lesser extent, Wallin). They weren't appointed to the Senate as much as they were hired and, of the two, Duffy proved to be the hog who laid nothing but golden eggs for Harper and his caucus.<br /><br />Duffy was in huge demand by Tory candidates during campaigns. For reasons I could never quite understand he was a real celebrity that ordinary Canadians flocked to see and hear. He was also worth his considerable weight in contribution cheques at fundraisers between elections. It was the PMO and the Conservative Party that kept Duffy on the road, criss-crossing the country, so much that he narrowly missed the days in-province to meet PEI residency requirements.<br /><br />In other words, it was the PMO and the Conservative Party that were Duffy's undoing on the housing allowance problem. They were the sine qua non of the dilemma.<br /><br />Carolyn Stewart-Olsen was likewise a "hired" senator. She was a Harper loyalist going back to the Reform Party days. She worked her way into Harper's PMO and became one of the few people he would really trust. Harper got her into the Senate, I suspect, to be his political commissar (think "Hunt for Red October"), Harper's eyes and ears to keep tabs on his flock of aging senatorial geese.<br /><br /> She had the same residency situation as Duffy and Wallin. She had her husband pick up a property in New Brunswick. Unlike Duffy she wasn't in great demand for appearances in distant ridings and so she did meet the residency requirements to qualify for the housing allowance.The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-8769942553722318222015-08-15T08:51:37.440-07:002015-08-15T08:51:37.440-07:00Ron, I find that interesting. That would raise eye...Ron, I find that interesting. That would raise eyebrows. Horton gets promoted as his recompense for doing just the perfect investigation? <br /><br />If so, I'd be surprised if Don Bayne didn't find some way to get that into the trial record. Stay tuned. I will.The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-57916300672526706792015-08-15T08:49:07.246-07:002015-08-15T08:49:07.246-07:00Part Three
I do think we'll see more torpedoe...Part Three<br /><br />I do think we'll see more torpedoes in the water as Bayne works his way through the Crown's witnesses. I think I know a bit of what he's got loaded in the forward tubes and waiting for Marjory LeBreton, Stewart-Olsen, Ben Perrin, Ray Novak and Arthur Hamilton (who I think could be heading for a rough patch with his own Law Society).<br /><br />I've never done a trial of this magnitude so I'm intrigued by how Don Bayne is going to keep it out of the doldrums. Some time ago I wrote that, when it comes to the protracted and complicated, Canadians have the attention span of mid-to-high order primates.<br /><br />I expect there'll be a thoroughly self-serving book coming out of Duffy on this. What remains to be seen is whether he'll be typing it at home or in his cell.The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-48585413516441750822015-08-15T08:47:47.178-07:002015-08-15T08:47:47.178-07:00Part Two.
Duffy is certainly a fitting petard on ...Part Two.<br /><br />Duffy is certainly a fitting petard on which to hoist Harper and his High Priests in the PMO, the Senate and the Conservative Party. They're mainly sophisticated people. They knew what they were doing and they did it without complaint. A genuine pack of scoundrels.<br /><br />What Don Bayne appears to be doing is to lift the veil to reveal Harper's web of corruption. Just as all roads lead to Rome, all of these tendrils lead straight back to one man pulling levers behind an emerald curtain.<br /><br />My guess on the "squirrely" reference is that they were afraid Duffy would go on TV and lay out how he became a Senator, Harper's assurance that he met the residency requirements, others who were in the very same boat on residency (Carolyn Stewart-Olsen among them), how his expenses were regularly vetted and approved (remember how Harper publicly vouchsafed Wallin's expenses?). There was a deal, a pact. Duffy would get a cushy and modestly prestigious job to age 75, a pension most would envy, and, what he desired most, a spot in the limelight, perpetual celebrity.<br /><br />There may have been some "dark secrets" that he knew that they feared he might expose if he felt the need for exoneration, vengeance. Duffy alluded to such things in his parting speech in the Senate. I don't know what they are or even if they might come out in the course of this trial although I'd be surprised.The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-53687465281777408972015-08-15T08:47:03.127-07:002015-08-15T08:47:03.127-07:00@ Sal. I wrote a response to your comment but, nat...@ Sal. I wrote a response to your comment but, naturally, I got carried away and it exceeded Blogger's limits. Here it is, in parts.<br /><br />Part One.<br /><br />Hi, Sal. The "redacted email" hit that Wright took yesterday was a body blow to Nigel Wright but just the start. There are two bigger hits, two that I know of, that will come when others are called to the stand. They pertain to other key players on Team Harper and I expect they'll dwarf anything we've yet seen. I expect there are several others.<br /><br />I began this anthology with that post about Duffy's first speech in the Senate to remind us that the Cavendish Cottager deserves no sympathy from us. He was an odious bugger from the outset. I was particularly saddened at the way Duffy, once appointed, demeaned his former colleagues after having worked among them for decades. It was such a classless thing to do made worse because it was so gratuitous. Now that Nemesis arrives in the wake of Duffy's Hubris, he has no friends in the Fourth Estate. <br /><br />Duffy richly deserves whatever fate befalls him. That said, Duffy's excesses have exposed Harper and his inner sanctum as being every bit as corrupt and venal as the Senator for Prince Edward Island. Their scheming, manipulations and corruption were crafted to remain behind closed doors, never glimpsed by the public eye, never even the stuff of suspicion.<br /><br />I have long considered Harper's greatest, most powerful skill, the one he wields to such great effect, to be his astonishing ability to manipulate and ultimately corrupt whatever he touches. Harper believes both power and order emanate from his fingertips. It's why he finds the Charter and the Supreme Court so infuriating. I am amazed at how so many Canadians have a poor to non-existent grasp of the deep contempt Harper has for constitutional, liberal democracy. That his PMO should be hideously corrupt, unhesitant to splash about in the murky waters between the simply mean and the outright criminal, is a mirror of the man it serves. However his corrupting tentacles have also reached deeply into the public service, to some extent even the armed forces, and fullsomely through the state police and security apparatus. Who could be surprised that the Senate of Canada would become Harper's personal puppet show, rotten to its beating, Tory heart.<br />The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-79489438585873164552015-08-15T08:43:56.534-07:002015-08-15T08:43:56.534-07:00A few of small points amid a torrent of info.
Wri...A few of small points amid a torrent of info.<br /><br />Wright always believed , and apparently still does , that Duffy committed no breach of either the rules or the law. He seems content, however, to let Duffy be convicted for something he doesn't believe he did. I guess only a good Christian would know about bearing false witness.<br /><br />Canadian's have the right of mobility. Duffy could move. When one moves full time to a summer residence, it is usually winterised . Duffy did just that to the tune of $100,000+.<br /><br />Senators are expected to be in Ottawa to attend sessions and can be penalised for not showing up. How then can this time be used against Duffy : he cannot break the laws of physics and be in two places at once. His yearly Florida holiday ( something many Canadians take ) seems to be used to minimise his primary residence time. rumleyfipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03346146988416679423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-18126386645061945312015-08-15T08:24:47.901-07:002015-08-15T08:24:47.901-07:00Correct me if I am wrong but I recall 'Rosy...Correct me if I am wrong but I recall 'Rosy' at some point referring to Corporal Horton as Sargeant Horton.<br /><br />Has his diligence(or failure to find a briber) earned him a promotion in the ranks of the Royal Conservative Mounted Police?ron wiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15395990851263472440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-27027533339096495102015-08-15T05:30:39.232-07:002015-08-15T05:30:39.232-07:00.. Outstanding .. !
Ideally many many Mainstream ..... Outstanding .. !<br /><br />Ideally many many Mainstream Media folks are sniffing the blood trail and will follow it, baying and snapping..<br />The emails to Duffy by McGregor pre publication re PEI health card and residency were fine examples and of course then came the publication etc.. so we know mainstream journos can do it.<br /><br />Andrew Coyne has recognized and written re how its really all about the audit. Its the audit that had to be quashed, buried or laundered completely. He asks why? And implies it would reveal the Harper mendacity of naming Senators purely as fundraisers for Harper.<br /><br />I believe there is more to it even than that. Is it possible that a 'going squirrely' Duffy could blow open other Harper secrets? Even cause the collapse of the Harper Government? What to make of the farcical bribe charge only on Duffy? Is the RCMP truly this complicit and in the bag for Harper and his Immaculate Deception ?the salamanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06853337802990122289noreply@blogger.com