The Right Honourable Myron Baloney
Oops, did I say that? Tongue-crossed as usual. How does this sound? The Wrongly Dishonourable Brian Mulroney. There! That's what I meant to say. Doesn't strike as very nice? No, guess not. But guess what? Gotta call them as you see them. Right? Right.The former-former Liberal government under the leadership of Jean Chretien initiated a surprise investigation soon after his inauguration as Prime Minister, into the Airbus Affair. The RCMP was tasked to launch this investigation with a view to determining whether Chretien's predecessor, Brian Mulroney, was guilty of malfeasance during his prime ministership. It was believed by some, clearly not admirers of Mr. Mulroney, that he had received funds in the way of a bribe from one Karlheinz Schreiber, an international arms merchant and dispenser of bribes, who somehow had access to those in the elevated circles of government and commerce in Canada and in his native Germany.
Mr. Mulroney vehemently denied any and all charges and counter-launched a law suit against the government of Canada. In their investigations the RCMP found no concrete evidence which would stand up in a court of law which could find Mr. Mulroney guilty of accepting funds-for-favour, and the government of Canada was forced to stand down. Mr. Mulroney's law suit looked as though he had the government in a vice of its own making, and in the end two million dollars of Canadians' hard-earned taxes went into the Mulroney family coffers in an out-0f-court settlement. In the process somewhat soothing Mr. Mulroney's ruffled feathers as a result of the assault on his good name.
Brian Mulroney, whom Canadians generally loved to loath enjoyed a modicum of rehabilitation in the last few years. Some public sympathy went out to the man as a result of a grave illness he suffered, and news reports of a lengthy hospital stay. He has recovered his health, and has been busy since in the public eye, amid musings about taking his rightful place in Canadian history as an effective prime minister during his tenure. More latterly it has been revealed that our new (Reform) Conservative prime minister, Stephen Harper, was in constant communication with his (Progressive) Conservative predecessor seeking advice from the seasoned veteran.
Um, what have we here? Revelations? Of a questionable sort, to be sure. It appears that the morality-challenged Karlheinz Schreiber whom Germany is interested in extraditing from Canada to face grand larceny charges was willing to ingratiate himself to the authorities to avoid an invitation he cannot refuse to leave this country. Mr. Schreiber informed the media during a television interview with the Fifth Estate that he had kindly given "payment" to the former prime minister: cash in the amount of three hundred thousand dollars. What for, we say, whatever for?
Innocent enough, declares Mr. Mulroney, it was for consultations. Wot? This known-t0-be-shady individual had the ear of the prime minister and approached him in a consultative capacity with respect to business interests of Mr. Schreiber's concerning pasta machines? Oboy, that's a good one. Wait a minute, is this the same Karlheinz Schreiber of whom Mr. Mulroney testified under oath that he had never met, never known of, never done business with? Oh, it is. Dear, dear.
Yet, it would appear that the funds handed over to Mr. Mulroney mere days after he stepped down as prime minister had a dubious route through various Swiss bank accounts, all of which were funded out of Mr. Schreiber's company named Inernational Aircraft Leasing. Which leads directly to Airbus Industries the very same firm that paid a hefty commission per aircraft sold to Air Canada.
Do we now understand that Mr. Mulroney against whom the government's case was dismissed a decade ago due to lack of evidence and to whom we, through the government of Canada, ponied up $2,000,000 as a penalty for proceeding in haste without due diligence in obtaining proper evidence to convict, and declared finally that conclusions of wrongdoing by the former prime minister were unjustified, was in reality a true miscarriage of justice? The man lied under oath, can we ask please, kindly please, for our money back?
Can we discuss this further?
posted by Pieface @ Monday, February 13, 2006
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