Court documents prepared by RCMP investigators state that Harper Senate appointee, Pam Wallin, committed fraud and breach of trust in connection with her Senate expense claims.
Senator Pamela Wallin used her Toronto condo “as her primary residence” for “functions outside the scope of her Senate duties” and in doing so filed “fraudulent expense claims” to the upper chamber, the RCMP allege in newly released court documents.
Investigators laid out the allegations of fraud and breach of trust against Wallin in documents filed in court on Oct. 28. The documents are part of a court order for the Senate and auditors from Deloitte to hand over numerous documents on Wallin related to her travel spending since 2009.
The RCMP is also looking for details about Wallin’s electronic Senate calendar, which was changed during an audit of her expenses. Mounties in the sensitive investigations division want to see the various versions of the calendars that they believe will “afford evidence of the named offences.”
There's something a bit nonsensical to this. All out of province senators by definition use their primary residence for "function outside the scope of [their] Senate duties." And if a Senator was primarily resident in Toronto, that individual would be entitled to out of town living allowance. Being primarily resident in Toronto goes to her ability to claim residence in Saskatchewan, the province she was appointed to represent but the allegations cited in this document seem garbled.
I don't want to defend her ethics, but this could be an overreach by the RCMP. To analogize with fighters in hockey, she's not done a Bertuzzi.
ReplyDeleteThe RCMP must have non-public evidence of a continuing massive purposeful deception on her part. Because what she will be arguing is that she has a disagreement with the Senate over claimed expenses, which should be resolved using the procedures available to that body. Which is what she and the Senate are trying to do (even if rather badly).
I guess the police have a tough row to hoe. But some people are going to be disturbed over the idea that the government could influence the laying of charges against people who are politically inconvenient to Harper.
Odd that this would come out on the eve of the CPC gala.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Chris.
ReplyDeleteDN, I too can't figure out what to make of the timing except to note that the RCMP seems to have become thoroughly politicized. That, in turn, makes me suspect the timing was for some political purpose.