There were also a clusterfuck of other allegations that sounded pretty shady (dude was charging taxpayers for funerals he attended), compounded by the fact that former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s chief of staff Nigel Wright issued a $90,000 cheque to cover some of Duffy’s seemingly improper expenses.
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Now that he has been acquitted, Duffy will once again have access to his Senate office and all the resources of the upper chamber.
If Duffy is found guilty on all charges, the former broadcaster could face up to 14 years behind bars. That declaration on forms he personally signed later entitled Duffy to travel expenses and per diems that the court ruled were in order under broad senate rules.
Quotes from Ontario Court Justice Charles Vaillancourt in his decision that saw Sen.
Within hours of finding out he was cleared of all 31 charges in connection with the long-running Senate expense scandal, Mike Duffy has seen his full Senate standing restored.
It’s been over a year since the trial for Senator Mike Duffy began, and it may all come to an end today.
Thursday’s ruling – the first in a series of cases related to senate expenses – could breathe new life into the national conversation about the need for senate reform.
“To the manner in which that money was distributed and the items that money was used on are questionable”. Duffy’s lawyer argued that his client’s actions were legal under the vague rules that govern the country’s senate. But it wouldn’t be enough to snuff out the scandal.
Some of the services Mr Duffy received by paying through his friend, Gerald Donohue, include a personal trainer and make-up artist.
The charges against Duffy were formally laid in July 2014, with the trial beginning the following April.
Two other senators – former Liberal Mac Harb and former Conservative Patrick Brazeau – are now awaiting trial for their own expenses – while Sen. “I did not break the rules, let alone the law”.
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The case against Duffy, a Prince Edward Island senator, launched a sweeping change in the oversight and guidelines for senators’ spending, with a probing audit of senators’ expenses.
