ab.politics

(K): This is getting bloody serious for the Harper government. They're trying fervently to get Schreiber out of the country before he can testify against Mulroney - and possibly even members of the Harper government. And they seem to be digging themselves deeper and deeper into a hole of suspicion. Harper's Justice Minister refused to delay the extradition, even though he has full power to do so. And that tells us that this game was pre-planned by the Tories when Mulroney was flapping his gums about 'bring on a full inquiry', Harper was working to make sure Schreiber wouldn't be around to testify against Mulroney. To say that the Harper government stinks to high heaven would be to understate the obvious. And now it's unfolding that the Opposition - in anticipation of the dirty tricks of Harper for Mulroney - have forced the issue through getting a Speaker's warrant forcing Schreiber to appear before the ethics committee. And they've also threatened to have Harper's Justice Minister, Rob Nicholson, charged with contempt of Parliament if he does NOT release Schreiber to answer the summons. Wow. There's little reason to believe there's nothing to cover up for Mulroney. And even less reason to believe that Harper is doing the covering up. ___________________________ CanWest News Service - Tuesday, November 27, 2007 Commons Speaker issues warrant for Schreiber OTTAWA - House of Commons Speaker Peter Milliken issued Tuesday a rarely used warrant for businessman Karlheinz Schreiber to compel his testimony at the ethics committee about his dealings with former prime minister Brian Mulroney. The Speaker's warrant was requested by MPs from all parties to bolster an order by ethics committee chair Paul Szabo that Schreiber be released from a Toronto jail, where he is being held pending execution of an extradition order to Germany, and be given a police escort to Ottawa to give a first-hand account to MPs of his relationship with Mulroney. The Speaker's warrant was requested after several days of legal and political wrangling over three sets of procedures - Commons orders, bail and extradition - that have created a tangled backdrop for opposition MPs attempting to get Schreiber and Mulroney to testify prior to a government-ordered public inquiry into the dealings between the two men gets underway next year. "Inch by inch, we've moved the ball forward," said Pat Martin, the New Democratic Party MP, whose motion to launch an inquiry and summon the two men got the ball rolling - too slowly for his taste. "This is exactly the motion that we should have had in the House of Commons last Tuesday when I first lost my temper at the committee." The warrant request was made at virtually the same time as Schreiber's lawyers secured a Friday morning hearing by the Court of Appeal for Ontario for a stay of extradition until the Supreme Court of Canada rules on the German-Canadian businessman's latest appeal. That could take three to five months. The federal Justice Department has promised that Schreiber would not be deported until Saturday at the earliest but minister Rob Nicholson insists ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ he has no power to stay an extradition unless the person is serving a ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ criminal sentence. Schreiber has not been charged or convicted of any crime in Canada but is wanted in Germany on tax evasion, fraud and other corruption-related charges. Nicholson's assertion about his lack of power to help the committee by delaying extradition or ordering Schreiber be released to testify set him on a collision course with Commons legal counsel Rob Walsh who told the committee that "the minister could facilitate this process in my view." While Schreiber is in a provincial facility, Walsh said he is in federal custody. He advised the MPs a Speaker's warrant would have the same clout as a court order. The warrant, which would put Schreiber in the custody of Parliament, was ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ last used in Canada in 1913 to briefly imprison a man named R.C. Miller for refusing to appear at a public accounts committee hearing and was last used in the United Kingdom in 1992 when two men were reluctant to testify at a social security select committee inquiry into the operation of pension funds. MPs say the warrant invokes an old tradition of Parliament being the site of the country's "grand inquest." Opposition MPs on the ethics committee outnumbered Conservative MPs and voted to launch an inquiry into possible ethical violations in Mulroney's receipt of $300,000 cash from Schreiber shortly after he stepped down as prime minister in 1993 and to examine the correctness of a $2.1-million legal settlement paid to Mulroney in 1997 by the Liberal government of Jean Chretien. The Mulroney-Schreiber cash exchange was not known at the time of the settlement and Mulroney has never personally explained what the money was for. The committee has voted to summon Mulroney early next month and his spokesman has said he would testify. Schreiber, 73, has said he is willing to testify but first wanted to be out on bail. He has asked Nicholson to delay execution of the extradition order beyond the Dec. 1 date that was set two weeks ago. Unanimous consent by MPs from all four federal political parties was granted in a voice vote after question period, during which Nicholson repeatedly said he would "do nothing to stand in the way" of the committee's efforts. But Nicholson also mocked the committee with a ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ sarcastic congratulations, adding he was sure "they're going to get this thing figured out," Conservative MPs, who voted against the committee inquiry last week, have repeatedly expressed skepticism about the committee's work, questioning whether anything useful would come from it. Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro expressed concern that Schreiber is motivated by a desire to avoid extradition and may not be truthful in testimony. He was not impressed when Walsh informed him of the penalty for ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ lying to the committee: a contempt of Parliament charge and jail until the ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ parliamentary session ends. "We might also send him a very stern letter and really scare him," Del Mastro replied. """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""