OTTAWA – RCMP investigators obtained a hard drive and a courier receipt from the Prime Minister’s Office as part of their investigation into the Senate expense scandal.
Last month, the PMO handed over to the RCMP a Purolator slip sent from Charlottetown to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s former chief of staff Nigel Wright on Feb. 21, 2013, court documents show.
The document was given to Cpl. Greg Horton, the man leading the investigation into the Senate expense scandal.
Police are looking into the role Wright played in handling suspended Sen. Mike Duffy’s expenses.
Duffy represents the province of Prince Edward Island in the Senate and is being investigated for allegations he committed breach of trust and fraud when he submitted housing and expense claims to the Senate and accepted a $90,000 cheque from Wright.
Harper has maintained he never knew of the $90,000 cheque, even though his statements on other aspects of the case have changed over the past year.
The court document suggests the PMO is cooperating with the police. One of Harper’s senior advisers, Howard Anglin, agreed to let investigators keep the receipt indefinitely – a measure that allows police to avoid getting judicial authorization for retaining the items.
A separate court document shows RCMP also obtained a hard drive containing emails from an address associated with the Privy Council Office on Jan. 16, 2014, also to be kept indefinitely. Robert Staley, a lawyer representing the PMO, signed off on the indefinite detention of the drive. When called for comment, he referred the matter to the PMO.
“At the Prime Minister’s direction we have always assisted the RCMP with its investigation and provided whatever information they required,” said Harper’s spokesman Jason MacDonald. “This consent form simply provides the RCMP permission to hold on to the emails they were provided until they conclude their work.”
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