Wright stays at PMO as questions linger about Sen. Mike Duffy’s expenses

ABOVE: Global’s Chief Political Correspondent Tom Clark talks about what’s next for Mike Duffy and the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Nigel Wright

OTTAWA – Nigel Wright will stay on as Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s chief of staff in the face of growing controversy and confusion over Wright’s $90,000 “gift” to Conservative Senator Mike Duffy.

“Nigel will not resign. He has the confidence of the Prime Minister,” Carl Vallee, a spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office, said in an email.

The vote of confidence comes amid new details of the way an audit of Duffy’s expenses was stunted after the prime minister’s staffer cut him a cheque.

On Thursday New Democrat Charlie Angus asked Senate ethics officer Lyse Ricard to investigate the matter. Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson  already vowed to look into Wright’s involvement on Wednesday.

It was also revealed by Canadian Press that Duffy submitted expense claims while Parliament was dissolved during the last federal election, reporting he was on Senate business on days he appeared to be campaigning for the Conservatives.

READ MORE: Senator Mike Duffy resigns from Conservative caucus over expenses scandal

Elections Canada documents show several candidates – including fellow Conservative Joe Oliver – paid for Duffy’s appearances on the campaign trail in April 2011.

But the Deloitte audit found Duffy claimed per diems from the Senate on those same days, saying he was on official business.

“If he was using taxpayers’ money, then he’s broken the election law, and that adds on top of the other concerns people have in terms of the payoff by Nigel Wright,” said NDP MP Paul Dewar.

But Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre said anything Duffy did on behalf of the Conservative Party was paid for by the party.

“My understanding is that Mr. Duffy has paid back all of the ineligible expense claims that he took through the Senate and that anything that he did for the Conservative Party during the campaign was paid by the Conservative party and properly registered with Elections Canada,” he said.

It is also unclear who repaid Duffy’s $90,172.24 in ineligible expenses, or how.

READ MORE: Mike Duffy made expense claims while campaigning

An official from the Prime Minister’s Office speaking to Global News on background said Wright wrote Duffy the cheque on the condition that it would be used to pay back taxpayers.

But Duffy appeared to contradict the prime minister’s office, stating in an email to CTV Tuesday – before the story became public – that the Royal Bank “helped” him.

“I dealt with my bank personally. Nigel played no role,” Duffy wrote in an email to the network, claiming he got a loan from the bank to repay the expense claims.

Duffy did not respond to a request for comment from Global News.

As for the Deloittle audit and subsequent Senate findings, it appeared the investigation turned cold after Duffy (or someone acting on his behalf) repaid the money.

While Mac Harb and Patrick Brazeau submitted bank account and credit card statements during the audit period, Duffy did not.

According to Deloitte’s audit, the senator never spoke to auditors and did not provide documents they had requested.

And once Duffy repaid the money in March, auditors were essentially told by a Senate sub-committee to move on to prevent further delays.

“We understand that the Senate sub-committee notified Senator Duffy that it had agree Senator Duffy’s offer to meet with Deloitte would delay the process, and that the sub-committee agreed that there should be no further delays in the process,” the audit said.

When asked if the auditors went easy on Duffy, Poilievre replied: “Mike Duffy’s ineligible expenses were paid back, whereas the other Senators have not paid back their expenditures.”