The Crown in the Mike Duffy trial may be hurting its own case by calling the prime ministerâs former chief of staff Nigel Wright to the stand, a criminal lawyer said after Wrightâs first day at court.
Ottawa criminal lawyer Michael Spratt that Wrightâs testimony is having the opposite effect of what the Crown was probably hoping for.
âItâs a bit of an ironic situation that we find ourselves in,â said Spratt. âThis is about quid pro quo, and corruption, and sort of nefarious dealing, and Nigel Wright seems to testify that it was quite the opposite.â
In his testimony, Wright said Prime Minister Stephen Harper was not aware that Wright would help Duffy repay his questionable Senate expenses by writing him a $90,000 personal cheque.
That testimony, Spratt said, doesnât do much for the Crownâs case.
âIt doesnât sound a lot like a bribery and a fraud from what Mr. Wright said,â Spratt explained. âBut we do know that Mr. Duffy has a different perspective.â
Spratt recalled Duffyâs speech on the floor of the Senate in October 2013 where he described a âmonstrous schemeâ to cover up the repayment. He expects Duffyâs lawyer Donald Bayne will continue to depict the deal as a scheme, despite Wrightâs testimony suggesting otherwise.
âI expect what weâll see is what Mr. Bayne does best,â said Spratt. âHeâll challenge Mr. Wright, I think, and try to paint this, maybe counterintuitively, as some sort of larger scheme that Mr. Duffy was perhaps forced to take part in.â
Duffy faces 31 charges, including fraud, bribery and breach of trust. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
All three major federal leaders were asked about the Duffy trial on the campaign trail Wednesday. While NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau jumped at the opportunity to use the trial as political leverage against Harper, the Conservative leader maintained that he did not know about the $90,000 cheque.
Spratt expects Harperâs name will come up a lot more in courtroom 33, as the Duffy trial continues.
âI expect theyâll hear the prime ministerâs name a lot more going forward,â said Spratt.