The preliminary hearing for a former aide to Prime Minister Stephen Harper accused of fraud on the government for attempting to use his influence to help a water purification company is set to begin in an Ottawa courtroom Monday.
Who’s charged: Bruce Carson. He was a senior adviser to the prime minister from 2006 to 2009; at one point, he was his acting chief of staff. The allegations stem from 2010, after Carson left the prime minister’s office.
What he’s accused of doing: Carson was charged by the RCMP in the summer of 2012 with fraud upon the government, otherwise known as influence peddling, after an investigation by the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network exposed evidence of Carson allegedly lobbying Aboriginal Affairs Canada on behalf of a water-purification company that planned to sell filtration systems to First Nations communities. Carson’s girlfriend, a former escort, was employed by the company and allegedly stood to gain a 20 percent commission on every government contract.
Carson was more recently charged with four additional charges, including three counts of prohibited lobbying and one count of influence peddling stemming from work he allegedly did on behalf of the Canada School of Energy and Environment and the Energy Policy Institute of Canada. Carson will appear in court on those charges June 18.
What’s at stake: The preliminary hearing is where Crown prosecutors call witnesses and other evidence in an attempt to show there is enough evidence for a judge to send the matter to trial. The preliminary hearing is also an opportunity for the defence to test the Crown’s case and make arguments about why the accused shouldn’t be committed to trial. A routine publication ban designed to protect an accused fair trial rights prevents any evidence presented during the hearing from being reported. Carson’s preliminary hearing is set for five days.