Fighting to clear her name, former Tory minister decries ‘allegations based on innuendo’ and ‘rumours gone amok’
Daniel Leblanc
Ottawa — The Globe and Mail Published on Wednesday, Apr. 14, 2010
Ms. Guergis has retained Howard Rubel to deal with her current situation, stemming from Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s decision last week to refer unspecified allegations to the RCMP and the Ethics Commissioner.
Ms. Guergis has vowed to fight to clear up her name and salvage her reputation.
“I’m sure you can appreciate it is very difficult to answer allegations based on innuendo from anonymous sources,” Ms. Guergis said in an email to The Globe and Mail this morning. “Nevertheless, I intend to defend myself to the fullest extent to ensure that the record is set straight.”
Mr. Jaffer pleaded guilty this year to careless driving and paid a $500 fine, after the Crown dropped criminal charges of cocaine possession and having a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit. A speeding charge was also withdrawn.
Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson has announced she will not be investigating the allegations that were put forward by the Prime Minister. But the RCMP has not offered information on the status of the file.
CTV reported last night that a private investigator contacted a Conservative Party lawyer in Toronto last week and expressed concern about a potential threat of blackmail arising from allegations about the purchase and use of drugs.
It hasn't been confirmed who may have bought or used the drugs, CTV said, or who the target of blackmail was. When the party lawyer received the information, CTV said, he immediately alerted the Prime Minister.
Ms. Guergis said she was shocked by the news report.
“This is completely ridiculous and an example of rumours gone amok,” Ms. Guergis said in an email to The Canadian Press on Wednesday morning.
Environment Minister Jim Prentice, meanwhile, told reporters Wednesday that Mr. Jaffer did approach him on Parliament Hill to inquire about the government’s environmental funding programs.
“I can tell you that firstly I’m not responsible for the administration of the so-called green funds,” Mr. Prentice said when asked whether he had been in contact with Mr. Jaffer.
“Secondly, I’ve not at any time discussed those [funds] with former minister Guergis. And thirdly, I can tell you the only contact I’ve ever had in the last year and a half with Mr. Jaffer was in passing in this very building when he asked if I was responsible for the administration of those funds. I indicated I was not. That discussion took place for about 30 seconds over a year ago. I’ve had no contact with him since that time.”
With a report from Bill Curry
Jaffer has probably created a life long income for Howard Rubel whose phone
will be ringing of the hood for decades to come, if he can continue his run of
luck with Ms. Guergis.
The odds of that are very very good. Poor Ms. Guergis, has at least, a serious
anger management problem, a hormonal imbalance, bad PMS and those were not the
cause of part of the cause of her little airport temper tantrum, then we can
deduce that it was probably prescription and or non-prescription drugs that had
a role to play. Perhaps it was a combination of some or all of the above.
Now, we know Jaffer likes the white stuff, and you don't need much of an
imagination to conjure up an image of him, rolling up a bank note at a party
with his high rolling friends where the white stuff just flows around like
cheese and crackers.
It's that culture, its that very obvious society that has Jaffer's loyal partner
right along side.
Birds of a feather flock together, When Jaffer was charged, Helene Guergis stood
right by her man despite the fact that all of Canada was about to learn of
Jaffer's little party habit.
Guergis exhibition of loyalty will endear her to Jaffer but not the rest of
Canada.
All that aside, the odds of Guergis being convicted is entirely remote and
Howard Rubel will be moving up, in the rankings of the rich and famous.
www.OttawaMensCentre.com