This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
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Auditors from Deloitte who scrutinized Mike Duffy’s expenses have guaranteed the Senate committee on Thursday their they prevented any interference in their work, a statement prompted by allegations from Liberal senators that the Prime Minister’s Office attempted to influence the audit raising doubts about conflict of interest and the firm’s independence.
The Senate’s internal economy committee heard from Deloitte auditors, who deliberated on the allegations made in an RCMP affidavit alleging that a senator having close ties with PMO contacted the firm to inquire about Duffy’s audit. An affidavit filed by the RCMP in court last week revealed that Sen. Irving Gerstein, on request of the PMO, contacted a partner at the firm whom he knew beforehand, Michael Runia, to inquire about the audit. Chair of the Conservative Fund, Gerstein, or Runia were not directly involved in the audit process.
Discussing the allegations, the Deloitte audit team’s leader Gary Timm informed the Senate committee that he in fact received a call from Runia inquiring about the sum Duffy would owe, though he claims to have immediately ended the call. Speaking about Runia’s call, Timm stated that “he wanted to know if Sen. Duffy were to repay (his expenses), how much would it amount to,” adding that “I said I couldn’t tell him, I couldn’t disclose any confidential information to him — that was the gist of the conversation.” Timm added that he later asked other auditors on the team if they had received such calls, they said no.
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