Five things to know about Nigel Wright’s testimony at Mike Duffy trial

OTTAWA – Stephen Harper’s former chief of staff, Nigel Wright, began testifying at the trial of Sen. Mike Duffy on Wednesday.

Here are five highlights from his first day of testimony:

1. Wright says Stephen Harper was left in the dark how Duffy’s expenses would be repaid:

Wright told court he did not inform the prime minister of the original plan to have the Conservative party fund repay Sen. Mike Duffy’s questionable expense filings. Wright said he informed Harper that Duffy agreed to repay the funds, but did not disclose there was a plan afoot for the party to cover the cost of the repayment. That repayment was believed to be $32,000 at the time.

2. Wright explained what “good to go” meant:

Wright was pressed for details about an email that suggested he had the green light from the prime minister. This email has been used against Harper in the Commons by opposition parties, who suggested it proves Harper was aware of the repayment details. Wright said “good to go” meant he had raised all the points he wanted to discuss with Harper on the repayment on Duffy’s expenses, but he told court he did not tell the prime minister where the money was coming from.

3. Wright says Conservative Sen. David Tkachuk pitched a plan to deal with Duffy’s expense issue:

Wright said Tkachuk called on Feb. 20, 2013 to outline a proposal that involved Duffy writing to the Senate steering committee, admitting to a mistake in claiming expenses and asking how much he should repay. Wright testified Tkachuk suggested the committee would then withdraw Duffy’s position from an audit review conducted by the firm Deloitte.

4. Wright says he felt an obligation to pay the $90,000:

Wright testified he believed Duffy owed $32,000, but was furious to learn it was actually $90,000. Wright told court he spoke with Conservative Sen. Irving Gerstein, who controlled the Conservative fund. Gerstein told Wright the party would not cover Duffy’s expenses, but Wright still felt he had an obligation to follow through on an arrangement he had made with Duffy on the repayment of the funds. This prompted Wright to foot the bill himself.

5. Wright never expected to be repaid by Duffy:

Wright told court he never expected to be repaid by Duffy after he transferred $90,000 to the senator. Wright, a wealthy businessman and lawyer, said he thought he could personally cover this cost and it would not have an impact on his “net worth.”