Canada PM could get election shock when ex-aide appears at trial

By David Ljunggren
OTTAWA, Aug 12 (Reuters) - A former top aide to Canadian
Prime Minister Stephen Harper could reveal potentially damaging
details about a corruption scandal as he takes the stand on
Wednesday at a trial that threatens to eclipse the ruling
Conservative's re-election bid.
Harper's former chief of staff, Nigel Wright, is the
highest-profile witness to testify in the months-long trial of
Conservative Senator Mike Duffy, who is accused of receiving a
bribe and abusing expense claims two years ago.
The testimony of Harper's one-time confidant ramps up just
as the election campaign swings into its second week, with the
prime minister scheduling a trip to Canada's remote Arctic that
overlaps with his appearance.
Wright resigned as Harper's chief of staff in May 2013 after
it emerged he had given a C$90,000 ($68,700) check to Duffy to
cover living and travel expenses the senator had claimed
improperly.
Canadian police investigated Wright's involvement but
dropped the probe in April.
The Duffy affair and its tales of backroom deals and
undercover payments is embarrassing for Harper, who came to
power in 2006 vowing to clean up Ottawa. The prime minister
insists he had no idea Wright planned to give Duffy money.
The opposition New Democratic Party, running neck and neck
with the Conservatives ahead of the Oct. 19 election, says
Harper's trip north was strategically timed to get away from
Ottawa as the trial makes headlines.
"He can run but he can't hide," NDP leader Thomas Mulcair
said.
Conservative campaign spokesman Bryn Weese dismissed
Mulcair's criticism, pointing out reporters were traveling with
the prime minister: "We're clearly not hiding from anyone."
If Wright testifies that Harper knew about the payoff, the
damage to the prime minister would be enormous.
Conservatives have said for months they do not expect the
trial to implicate Harper, but concede the media coverage could
make life uncomfortable.
Harper initially said Wright had resigned but as public
uproar grew in 2013, he changed his tale and said he had fired
him. A friend of Wright said the former aide was "not looking
for revenge, he is just looking to tell the truth."
Duffy says he did nothing wrong because the rules in the
Senate, Parliament's upper chamber, were so vague he was within
his rights to claim the expenses in question. ID:nL2N0X420K
($1=$1.31 Canadian)