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Nearly nine months after being charged with 31 criminal counts related to the way he treated the Senate’s money, former broadcaster Mike Duffy begins his trial this morning.
Crown prosecutors and Duffy’s defence lawyer are expected to delve deep into the suspended senator’s business — and that of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s secretive political team, whose members tried but failed to control the scandal over Duffy’s expense claims.
It’s politically juicy stuff. But at heart, Duffy’s trial will be an ordinary criminal proceeding. Barring a surprise, it’ll start like hundreds of other trials Ottawa’s Elgin Street courthouse sees every year.
Court is to convene at 10:30 a.m. The doors to the building opened at 8 a.m.
SCROLL THIS WINDOW FOR LIVE REPORTING OF THE TRIAL
News media started lining up before the crack of dawn to guarantee themselves a coveted spot inside the small courtroom that will house this trial. They were joined a short time later by Kyle Morrow, a second-year law student at the University of Ottawa.
Morrow said he arrived early and was braving the cold because he is particularly interested in white-collar criminal cases. The fact Duffy’s case combined such a case with his interest in politics was an added bonus. Morrow ran for the Alberta Liberals in the province’s last election.
“He’s a very well-known Canadian,” Morrow said of Duffy. “He was one of the first journalists I watched.”
Robert Gaal also wandered down and managed to secure a seat inside the courtroom 33 out of personal interest.
“He was a really trusted figure we all watched,” Gaal said. “He had the inside story.”
Gaal said he wanted to hear the full story, including what happened behind the scenes in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office when questions were first raised about Duffy’s expenses.
“That’s what everybody’s drooling over,” he said. “And will this affect Harper’s re-election chances.”
Who we’ll hear from
Day One of the trial is to be dominated by opening statements from the lawyers. Then the Crown is expected to call functionaries from the Senate to testify about the orientation new senators get.
What they’ll talk about
Crown prosecutors Mark Holmes and Jason Neubauer will sketch out their case against Duffy. It’s a complicated business, with charges in four distinct clusters:
– Duffy’s claims of expenses for his longtime home in Ottawa as a secondary residence;
– Filing for Senate work when he wasn’t on Senate business;
– Contracts for longtime friend Gerry Donohue, who the police say did little actual work;
– a $90,000 payment Duffy’s accused of accepting improperly from the prime minister’s chief of staff, Nigel Wright.
Defence lawyer Donald Bayne gets to make a statement outlining Duffy’s response to the charges. He has long promised that there’s more to know about Duffy’s actions and his relationship with the Prime Minister’s Office than has so far been revealed publicly, and this will be his chance to start sharing it.
The Senate witnesses are expected to describe what senators are told about expenses and residency claims when they take office, laying out the ground rules that the Crown contends Duffy violated.
Related
dreevely@ottawacitizen.com
Twitter.com/davidreevely
查看原文...
Crown prosecutors and Duffy’s defence lawyer are expected to delve deep into the suspended senator’s business — and that of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s secretive political team, whose members tried but failed to control the scandal over Duffy’s expense claims.
It’s politically juicy stuff. But at heart, Duffy’s trial will be an ordinary criminal proceeding. Barring a surprise, it’ll start like hundreds of other trials Ottawa’s Elgin Street courthouse sees every year.
Court is to convene at 10:30 a.m. The doors to the building opened at 8 a.m.
SCROLL THIS WINDOW FOR LIVE REPORTING OF THE TRIAL
News media started lining up before the crack of dawn to guarantee themselves a coveted spot inside the small courtroom that will house this trial. They were joined a short time later by Kyle Morrow, a second-year law student at the University of Ottawa.
Morrow said he arrived early and was braving the cold because he is particularly interested in white-collar criminal cases. The fact Duffy’s case combined such a case with his interest in politics was an added bonus. Morrow ran for the Alberta Liberals in the province’s last election.
“He’s a very well-known Canadian,” Morrow said of Duffy. “He was one of the first journalists I watched.”
Robert Gaal also wandered down and managed to secure a seat inside the courtroom 33 out of personal interest.
“He was a really trusted figure we all watched,” Gaal said. “He had the inside story.”
Gaal said he wanted to hear the full story, including what happened behind the scenes in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office when questions were first raised about Duffy’s expenses.
“That’s what everybody’s drooling over,” he said. “And will this affect Harper’s re-election chances.”
Who we’ll hear from
Day One of the trial is to be dominated by opening statements from the lawyers. Then the Crown is expected to call functionaries from the Senate to testify about the orientation new senators get.
What they’ll talk about
Crown prosecutors Mark Holmes and Jason Neubauer will sketch out their case against Duffy. It’s a complicated business, with charges in four distinct clusters:
– Duffy’s claims of expenses for his longtime home in Ottawa as a secondary residence;
– Filing for Senate work when he wasn’t on Senate business;
– Contracts for longtime friend Gerry Donohue, who the police say did little actual work;
– a $90,000 payment Duffy’s accused of accepting improperly from the prime minister’s chief of staff, Nigel Wright.
Defence lawyer Donald Bayne gets to make a statement outlining Duffy’s response to the charges. He has long promised that there’s more to know about Duffy’s actions and his relationship with the Prime Minister’s Office than has so far been revealed publicly, and this will be his chance to start sharing it.
The Senate witnesses are expected to describe what senators are told about expenses and residency claims when they take office, laying out the ground rules that the Crown contends Duffy violated.
Related
- Mike Duffy's day in court: Your guide to the suspended senator's trial
- Mike Duffy Trial special site
dreevely@ottawacitizen.com
Twitter.com/davidreevely
查看原文...
