19. December 2018. Michael Wernick makes no secret of the fact that on this call uncomfortable. “I’ll call you because of this unpleasant thing… this out-of-court agreement tool and SNC, and so…” at The time of the interview, the 61-Year – old “officials of state, home office” in Justin Trudeaus Cabinet and thus the Cabinet Secretary, the chief of the Federal bureaucracy and an important adviser to the Prime Minister at the same time.
With the SNC, the construction company, SNC-Lavalin, has in Trudeaus home province of Quebec to thousands of people. The canadian office of the public Prosecutor has raised against the group’s serious allegations of corruption: in Order to come into Libya to lucrative government contracts, should have paid the company a total of 47.7 million canadian dollars (about 35 million Swiss francs) to corrupt officials, including Escort Services and parties for one of the sons of Muammar al-Ghadhafis.
And who calls Wernick because of the “out-of-court settlement tool”? Canada’s Minister Of Justice, Jody Wilson-Raybould. “The Prime Minister wants to know why the way via an out-of-court agreement, the Parliament has provided is not used,” says Wernick. “He is in one of these moods, and I wanted you to be aware of that.”
Trying to Wernick, or even Trudeau to influence ongoing investigations by the Prosecutor’s office? The Minister of justice, is sure – that’s why you record the call. Later you will say in front of a Committee of the Parliament, government employees would you want to always push back with “veiled threats” to the Prosecutor’s office to instruct in the SNC corruption scandal a out-of-court Deal. In the case of a condemnation of the company, threatened to be used during years of public contracts excluded. The Minister of justice has refused but always, to interfere.
“It is the independence of the public Prosecutor’s office”
Wernick remains in the conversation, in fact, always vague, but the direction is clear, such as, for example, to a miss understanding: Wernick says Trudeau think about it, to ask a former top judge of the Council. “They could also give you advice if you want to feel more comfortable, you nothing Inappropriate doing this…” Apparently, he thinks if would interfere with the Minister of justice, at the Prosecutor’s office.
But Wilson-Raybould, has taken the opposite decision, to him in the words: “I’m 100 percent sure that I do nothing Inappropriate.” The Wernick brings into rowing: “Yes… no, but it would also be inappropriate if you’d decide to use some of these legal tools… Because I think the Prime Minister believes that the government needs to try everything before we lose 9000 jobs and a canadian company.”
The Minister of justice, has prepared appears to be well on the interview. It makes Wernick multiple attention to the fact that the entertainment was “totally inappropriate”. Sometimes the conversation gives the impression that the Minister of justice explain what is an independent judiciary. “It is a fundamental constitutional principle of the independence of the public Prosecutor’s office,” said Wilson-Raybould. “We understand the Prime Minister at the scope of what this could possibly mean? Here it is not just about saving jobs, but also to the interference in one of our basic institutions.” Wernick replied meekly: “Well, I think he sees it that way…” to which the Minister of justice is briefly a little louder: “Well, then, that no one, Michael explains to him!”
Three resignations, Opposition calls for Trudeaus resignation
The Minister of justice, was degraded to its decision in January inside the Cabinet to the veterans Minister and resigned in February. Another Cabinet member, Jane Philpott, resigned because of the affair “out of principle”.
The affair captured the government Trudeaus at the beginning of February, as Wilson-Raybould charged the Prime Minister for the first time publicly in her testimony before a parliamentary Committee. Wilson-Raybould has submitted to the judiciary Committee in addition to the sound recording also other materials to your accusations. This weekend has made the recording public.
Since the publication of the documents of the dispute over the Interpretation of the conversation has flared up again. Wernick back occurs because of the affair this month. He, however, on the point of view that he had threatened the Minister of justice, never. And the Prime Minister, he had not informed about the conversation, because “all the next day in the holidays went,” said his lawyer in a Letter this Saturday.
members of the government and of the liberal party in government to criticize, however, Wilson-Rayboulds approach. Minister of labour, Patty Hajdu, about described the secret recording as “unethical” and “deceptive”. Wilson-Raybould defended, they have decided to “extraordinary and otherwise inappropriate step”, in order to have an accurate record of the conversation.
Trudeau has any wrongdoing on their part or on his employees denied. In General, the Prime Minister is not in the affair demure, although he creates it from the negative headlines. A year and a half before the elections in October, polls show that his party will lose the elections, as reported by Reuters. In the ranks of the government party, it sizzles. A sign of anger: party members seek on their own one party to the exclusion of Wilson-Raybould.
other characters: high-Ranking party members criticized Trudeau and his government anonymously to the news Agency focus. One of them says: “you have screwed up from the beginning. You would have to apologize, improvement promise and more.”
(editing Tamedia)
Created: 02.04.2019, 20:00 Uhr
