Mike Duffy trial: Day 43
Live coverage of the trial of suspended senator Mike Duffy from CBC journalists inside and outside the courtroom.
3rd & 7 37yd
3rd & 7 37yd
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Perrin wrote to Wright on March 1 that this was the first he had heard from Payne that the Deloitte work would no longer be needed if Duffy repaid the Kanata expenses. Wright's response: I don't care about her expectations. From what I hear, her client is making this more difficult."
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Perrin says he was frustrated because he had been clear so many times with Payne. He says he was firmer in his language. He felt Payne was trying to create a written record there that wasn't accurate. Recall that PMO insisted on no written agreement about the terms of Duffy's repayment.
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We're jumping ahead now to March 14. Payne emailed Perrin at 735 a.m. asking for an update. Perrin doesn't think they've spoken since the last round. He responded to her to hold tight, she replied that she had some suggestions from Duffy for media lines, and Perrin told Payne that Duffy shouldn't change the lines. These are the lines from Feb. 22.
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On March 20, Payne emailed Perrin and Hamilton that the Feb. 22 arrangement was in limbo. LeBreton had told senators the day before that no one should raise questions about Deloitte, and Duffy wasn't sure how to read that. Perrin forwarded the email to Patrick Rogers, Nigel Wright, Ray Novak and Chris Woodcock.
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Perrin notes he had a side conversation with Wright at some point in March that he didn't think Deloitte would give up the audit. He said he made the point that audit firms are given mandates and complete them. Perrin says he felt uncomfortable even raising it with Wright because of Wright's superior business background.
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Perrin wrote back that he just got an email on that issue and that he would get back to her the next day because everyone was in budget lock-up that day. The lock-up means media and staff give up their blackberries (and other smart phones) and can't communicate with the outside world.
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Getting to day of conf call in which Wright & Perrin recall differently whether Novak was there. Blog here live.cbc.ca/Event/Mike_Duf… #duffyby Laura Payton via twitter 8/20/2015 7:37:04 PM
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This conference call is the one where Wright testified Novak was in and out, missing most of it, but where Perrin told police that he remembers looking at Novak to see how he reacted to Wright mentioning he was giving Duffy the money to repay the Senate expenses.
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On March 20,in the "dangerous tactic by her" email from Wright, he wrote that Perrin had told Payne "several times" that this was not about the audit being called off, but about Deloitte not having to conclude on primary vs secondary residence. Perrin tells the court that that was Wright's description; he wouldn't describe it as telling Payne "several" times.
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Perrin had a call with Payne before the conference call. He says she told him that Senator Duffy was considering reneging on his public commitment to repay the disputed residency expense claims, that they continued to believe the rules were ambiguous and that they were seriously considering fighting it out with the auditors.
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Wright preferred Duffy not be on the call, but said if Payne wanted him there then they couldn't object (he didn't end up on the call). PMO would have some "silent partners," which Perrin said Wright - or his assistant, David Van Hemmen in his place - intended to be people on the call who Payne didn't know were listening in. That would be Woodcock and I think Van Hemmen.
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Perrin noted points two through five weren't really issues, but one was still a problem - the audit. Perrin says he got to Wright's office in Langevin three or four minutes before the call and said Wright was at his desk. Perrin sat at his boardroom table. He says he remembers it vividly because there were so few occasions where they met in Wright's office.
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Perrin says Novak entered during the briefing and sat at the head of the table, to Perrin's right and Wright's left. Perrin concluded his briefing and told Wright Payne and Duffy would likely be incensed because of the audit going ahead and being about to make a finding of non-cooperation.
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Perrin says Wright said Duffy would be going ahead with the repayment "because I'm going to be paying them" for him. Perrin says it was the first he'd heard of it and had never contemplated it. He says Novak had no reaction to that information, and the call started within a minute of that.
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Perrin just described meeting w/Wright & Novak where Wright says he is covering #Duffy expenses. #elxn42by Jennifer Ditchburn via twitter retweeted by RosieBarton 8/20/2015 8:03:54 PM
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Perrin says Wright began the call by introducing himself. Perrin says it sounded like they'd never spoken. He says Wright also introduced Novak, then spoke for a few minutes. Perrin says once Wright got to the audit information, he was very clear that even though he'd committed to the audit being rendered moot, that that wasn't going to happen anymore.
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Perrin says that was about it for the call. He says Wright said he'd provide the cheque the next week. Payne was concerned about the interest accruing and Wright said he'd find out how much it was. Payne was to provide a letter for Wright to look at to accompany the cheque.
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Bayne interjects. He feels Payne wouldn't have said "my client's going to renege" and wouldn't have said that they were going to fight it out with Deloitte. He wants the court to know what she actually said. The Crown says they aren't his words, they're the witnesses. The judge was going to allow it to continue but have Bayne question, but Perrin asks to clarify his own words.
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Perrin forwarded Payne a draft letter from Tkachuk's office about the audits and the amount owing. Payne emailed him the next day, Saturday March 23 about the cheque for Deloitte. She asked if she should instead send the cheque to internal economy with a cc to Deloitte.
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Ray Novak, PM's top aide, told twice that Wright would cover Duffy's expenses, court hears
Ray Novak, Stephen Harper's chief of staff, was told before and during a conference call that Nigel Wright would personally repay Mike Duffy's expenses, a former lawyer for the Prime Minister's Office told court, contradicting claims by the Conservative campaign.