Jordan Press THE CANADIAN PRESS
OTTAWA—The last remaining threads of the years-long Senate spending saga finally are being tied up, as the final few senators who have been facing legal scrutiny suddenly find themselves walking away without facing a criminal trial.
Fraud and breach of trust charges against Sen. Patrick Brazeau were withdrawn yesterday—the latest legal domino to fall in the wake of Mike Duffy’s sensational acquittal on 31 criminal charges three months ago.
In May, prosecutors dropped charges against former senator Mac Harb while the RCMP abandoned its three-year-long investigation of Pamela Wallin’s travel expenses without laying charges.
And still more senators who were swept up in the expenses scandal are set to walk away without facing criminal charges, said a Senate source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The RCMP has informed the upper chamber that the force will not pursue criminal charges against any of the 30 senators named in auditor general Michael Ferguson’s critical review of Senate spending, said the source, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly,
The remaining two files are to be closed in the coming weeks, noted the source, who would not confirm the identities of the senators in question.
The smoldering ruins of what once was a raging political scandal on Parliament Hill has left many in the upper chamber wondering what was gained from all the money and time spent on sifting through thousands of expense claims.
“Quite frankly, it’s a big waste of money,” Brazeau’s lawyer Christian Deslauriers, said outside the Ottawa courthouse yesterday.
“There were a lot of resources that were put on this for no reason and quite frankly, this destroyed Mr. Brazeau for three years now,” he added.
“He’s been having a hard time with this.”
Deslauriers said Brazeau was considering his options, which include taking the Mounties to court.
Brazeau did not attend yesterday’s brief hearing in person, although he did express himself on Twitter shortly after the charges were dropped.
“I wouldn’t wish false accusations on my worst enemy,” Brazeau tweeted.
“It almost ruined my life. I was thrown under the bus but I survived.”
The RCMP did not immediately respond to a request for comment yesterday.
Brazeau’s troubles with the law stemmed from housing expenses he claimed for a secondary residence in Gatineau, Que., across the river from Ottawa, which the RCMP alleged was his primary home and not in Maniwaki, Que., as Brazeau had told the Senate.
