Today's Gazette
Harper orders Mulroney review
Jack Aubry, CanWest News Service
Published: Saturday, November 10 2007Stephen Harper is ordering an independent review of allegations made about former prime minister Brian Mulroney and his dealings with German businessman Karlheinz Schreiber.
Harper made the announcement yesterday afternoon, saying a review is necessary to consider new allegations in an affidavit filed by Schreiber concerning the last days of Mulroney's time in office and its impact on the government's $2.1-million libel settlement with Mulroney in 1997.
Harper said he was moving to protect the office of the prime minister.
Brian Mulroney is being sued for $300,000 that businessman Karlheinz Schreiber alleges he paid to former PM.
REUTERS FILE PHOTO
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In a statement, Mulroney said: "I acknowledge the appointment of an independent and impartial third party to review the allegations. I will co-operate fully with the person appointed."
Until yesterday, Harper had rejected demands from opposition MPs to review Schreiber's allegations and Mulroney's libel settlement after revelations the former prime minister had accepted $300,000 in cash from Schreiber after he left office.
The new 20-page affidavit filed by Schreiber in Ontario Superior Court alleges that an adviser to Mulroney asked Schreiber to transfer funds he made in connection with Air Canada's 1988 purchase of Airbus airplanes to Mulroney's lawyer in Switzerland.
It also claims that Schreiber told Mulroney during a meeting at Hotel Savoy in Zurich on Feb. 2, 1998, that Mulroney's adviser, Fred Doucet, had asked him to transfer funds "related to the Airbus deal" from a lobby firm to Mulroney's Swiss lawyer.
None of the allegations in Schreiber's affidavit has been proved in court.
Harper said he had not informed Mulroney of his decision to call a review, adding that he and his government would not be in communication with the former prime minister during the review time.
He noted that one of the allegations in the affidavit concerned a visit by Mulroney and his family to Harrington Lake in 2006 during which a letter written by Schreiber was to be shown to Harper.
"Let me just say my family and I did host the former prime minister and his family for a social occasion at Harrington Lake in August 2006, at our invitation. We did not discuss Mr. Mulroney's dealings with Mr. Schreiber during that visit," said Harper, adding that no letter was presented at the social occasion.
As well, he said Mulroney has never spoken to him on behalf of Schreiber and has never presented any documents from him.
Harper said the Conservative government would move quickly on the matter, saying the head of the independent review would be named as early as next week.
He also said his government has no intention to intervene in Schreiber's extradition case, which could see him shipped off to Germany as early as next Friday. Schreiber faces charges of bribery, fraud and tax evasion in his native country.
NDP MP Joe Comartin said late yesterday that his party would still be asking the House of Commons ethics committee to hold hearings into the circumstances of the lawsuit settlement, suggesting that Justice Department lawyers would possibly not have paid off Mulroney if they had known about the three envelopes containing $100,000 given to the former prime minister in 1993 and 1994.
