A
Canadian senator denied Saturday he used his political influence to
benefit a Calgary-based oil and gas company, in the wake of police
allegations that a government official committed a breach of trust
while in talks with foreign authorities.
The Globe and Mail reported Saturday that the RCMP is investigating Sen. Mac Harb.
A sworn affidavit presented in Alberta provincial court, which has been heavily redacted, accuses a government official of using a special passport reserved for federal officials to travel to Bangladesh and lobby officials on behalf of Niko Resources.
The official’s name is blacked out, but the Globe and Mail reported it had “independently confirmed” the person to be Harb.
“I am aware of the investigation that has been undertaken by the RCMP into Niko Resources and I have cooperated fully with the RCMP,” the Liberal senator said in a statement. “I did not make any representations to federal government officials nor did I use my position as a Senator for personal gain or to further the private interests of Niko.”
Harb said he disclosed all details of his work to the Senate Ethics Committee, as required under conflict of interest guidelines.
“As a city councillor, a Member of Parliament and as a Senator, I have always put the public interest first,” said Harb, a former Ottawa-Centre MP. “This investigation has therefore caused me grave concern and I have cooperated fully with the authorities. I am confident that there will be no finding of wrongdoing.”
Cpl. Kevin Duggan, of the RCMP’s Calgary anti-corruption unit, swore in the 2009 affidavit that a Canadian government official had abused his or her office “for a purpose other than the public good.” The document said he or she had lobbied on a behalf of a private company on at least four trips between Aug. 2004 and July 2006, despite warnings from Canadian diplomats to desist.
The affidavit was seeking permission to demand evidence, in the form of credit card statements, account transactions and mortgage records, from financial institutions, including a Calgary branch of the Bank of Nova Scotia, in relation to the case.
When asked Saturday about a formal investigation on Harb, Sgt. Greg Cox with the RCMP national office said he could neither confirm nor deny it, and such a thing would only be made public “if and when” a charge is laid.
Niko president and CEO Edward Sampson said Harb had approached the company about working for it.
“He offered to support the company’s business efforts in Bangladesh in his personal capacity, independent of being a senator,” Sampson told Postmedia News. “He advised Niko that he had obtained all necessary approvals from the Senate Ethics Committee to engage in the arrangement.”
He said Crown attorneys had investigated the matter and “determined that no charges against Niko were warranted.”
Last Friday, Niko was fined $9.5 million by an Alberta judge after pleading guilty to bribing a Bangladeshi minister with the use of a luxury SUV and free trips to Calgary and New York. The minister had been assigned to determine what compensation should be paid to villagers affected by explosions at a Niko drilling site in 2005.
Three years earlier, Harb and then-Niko president Robert Ohlson travelled as part of a Canadian trade delegation to Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital. That’s according to a speech by David Kilgour, acting secretary of state (Asia-Pacific) at the time, who had addressed a chamber of commerce luncheon.
Charlie Angus, New Democrat MP and democratic reform critic, said the allegations against Harb point to the need to abolish the Senate altogether.
“We’ve had convicted criminals in the Senate, we’ve had people up on charges in the Senate,” Angus said. “And whether there’s evidence to warrant this case going forward or not, I think it’s a reminder that . . . the Senate is an unelected and unaccountable body.
“They’re in charge of their own oversight and they have pitiful checks and balances in place for code of conduct.”
The Senate conflict of interest code says senators must declare their private interests if they believe a matter before the chamber might affect those interests. Senators must also not use their position to influence “individuals, entities, or governments” in an effort to benefit themselves or others.
lbaziuk@postmedia.com
twitter.com/laurabaziuk
The Globe and Mail reported Saturday that the RCMP is investigating Sen. Mac Harb.
A sworn affidavit presented in Alberta provincial court, which has been heavily redacted, accuses a government official of using a special passport reserved for federal officials to travel to Bangladesh and lobby officials on behalf of Niko Resources.
The official’s name is blacked out, but the Globe and Mail reported it had “independently confirmed” the person to be Harb.
“I am aware of the investigation that has been undertaken by the RCMP into Niko Resources and I have cooperated fully with the RCMP,” the Liberal senator said in a statement. “I did not make any representations to federal government officials nor did I use my position as a Senator for personal gain or to further the private interests of Niko.”
Harb said he disclosed all details of his work to the Senate Ethics Committee, as required under conflict of interest guidelines.
“As a city councillor, a Member of Parliament and as a Senator, I have always put the public interest first,” said Harb, a former Ottawa-Centre MP. “This investigation has therefore caused me grave concern and I have cooperated fully with the authorities. I am confident that there will be no finding of wrongdoing.”
Cpl. Kevin Duggan, of the RCMP’s Calgary anti-corruption unit, swore in the 2009 affidavit that a Canadian government official had abused his or her office “for a purpose other than the public good.” The document said he or she had lobbied on a behalf of a private company on at least four trips between Aug. 2004 and July 2006, despite warnings from Canadian diplomats to desist.
The affidavit was seeking permission to demand evidence, in the form of credit card statements, account transactions and mortgage records, from financial institutions, including a Calgary branch of the Bank of Nova Scotia, in relation to the case.
When asked Saturday about a formal investigation on Harb, Sgt. Greg Cox with the RCMP national office said he could neither confirm nor deny it, and such a thing would only be made public “if and when” a charge is laid.
Niko president and CEO Edward Sampson said Harb had approached the company about working for it.
“He offered to support the company’s business efforts in Bangladesh in his personal capacity, independent of being a senator,” Sampson told Postmedia News. “He advised Niko that he had obtained all necessary approvals from the Senate Ethics Committee to engage in the arrangement.”
He said Crown attorneys had investigated the matter and “determined that no charges against Niko were warranted.”
Last Friday, Niko was fined $9.5 million by an Alberta judge after pleading guilty to bribing a Bangladeshi minister with the use of a luxury SUV and free trips to Calgary and New York. The minister had been assigned to determine what compensation should be paid to villagers affected by explosions at a Niko drilling site in 2005.
Three years earlier, Harb and then-Niko president Robert Ohlson travelled as part of a Canadian trade delegation to Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital. That’s according to a speech by David Kilgour, acting secretary of state (Asia-Pacific) at the time, who had addressed a chamber of commerce luncheon.
Charlie Angus, New Democrat MP and democratic reform critic, said the allegations against Harb point to the need to abolish the Senate altogether.
“We’ve had convicted criminals in the Senate, we’ve had people up on charges in the Senate,” Angus said. “And whether there’s evidence to warrant this case going forward or not, I think it’s a reminder that . . . the Senate is an unelected and unaccountable body.
“They’re in charge of their own oversight and they have pitiful checks and balances in place for code of conduct.”
The Senate conflict of interest code says senators must declare their private interests if they believe a matter before the chamber might affect those interests. Senators must also not use their position to influence “individuals, entities, or governments” in an effort to benefit themselves or others.
lbaziuk@postmedia.com
twitter.com/laurabaziuk
© Copyright (c) Postmedia News
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar