04.08.2010 06:41 AM

L’affaire Jaffer

Apart from everything else – the false claim to still be an MP, the alleged influence-peddling, the association with men under police investigation, the fact that cocaine was in his possession and the fact that he was driving under the influence – this Toronto Star report is going to make for a complicated day (or days) in a number of offices, in Ottawa, Toronto and out in Caledon. It is an extraordinary piece of investigative reporting.

Straight-up, no commentary, no bullshit: it was a joy to read, even if the subject matter should anger everyone.

Rahim Jaffer, your time in the spotlight ain’t over yet. Not by a long shot.

34 Comments

  1. parnel says:

    I read the article just before coming over here and had the same impression as you do Warren. I see a potential divorce on the horizon for starters and some interesting fireworks in various poliical offices. Iggy and team now have more matches to light those fireworks.

  2. Catherine says:

    Agree fully with you, Mr. Kinsella.

    Hard do the ‘tough on crime’ Conservatives, defend one of their own ‘plea’ bargaining to minimize the consequences of his illegal actions?

    And, yet, Jane Taber ignores the whole ‘buzz’ around this situation.l

    • Reg Morel says:

      Jane Taber and her ilk are the cause and not the symtom. Sharper journalists (perhaps like the star reporter) with better formed opinions might lead to a more discerning electorate. Perhaps this could be followed by darwinian selection of more capable, clever politicians rather than ones that act like minor corrupt members of small town chambers of commerce diddling zoning laws to make a few quick thousand on their dead grandmother’s house. I’m not saying they will be more honest, just the schemes will be more clever. They might even be able to launch a decent conspiracy against the pmo. Weak MPs are a necessity if you want to minimize the cost of the carrots and sticks to control them. It is simply not in any political party executive’s interest to have strong mps in the ranks. Had Margeret Thatcher become Prime Minister of Canada in 1979, I’d fear she would still be PM today

  3. Brian says:

    I read it before coming here, and I’ve already set aside Donovan’s e-mail to congratulate him. It’s reassuring to see real reporters still know how to squeeze sources to pull together real stories.

    Oh and incidentally, was any of Jaffer’s activity reported in the lobbyist registry? This could prove to be a nice test of it – not least because Jaffer can’t be the only Tory blowhard making promises out there.

    😉

  4. Riley Hennessey says:

    If I was the opposition, I’d be on this like white on rice. Did Geurgis ever meet with this Gillani character? How much did she know about her husbands business practices? Did she promise cabinet access?

    and HOOKERS! Oh man everybody loves a story with hookers!

  5. If Jaffer is going to sing, then I’m sure there will be questions about how often Guergis met Gilani. No way Harper’s going to let that happen before a shuffle.

    That also would explain why he got such a good deal.

  6. Bill says:

    She’s gone by Monday……..that’s my bet.

    • Anonymous says:

      Unless, there were others in the Tory caucus or in the PMO who met with these characters. Jaffer was the Caucus Chair, and somebody was paying him for “access.”

  7. Tim says:

    I wasn’t really interested in reading it, but after “three busty hookers” in the second paragraph, I was riveted!

  8. Tceh says:

    Unbelievable that Guergis and Jaffer were once held up to the Canadian public as some kind of Conservative power couple. There is nothing in their character that is deserving of admiration or privilege IMO.

    Jaffer’s alleged willingness to brag about his government connections at the Nazim Gillani meeting makes the other story about the Ottawa house “no money down” mortgage more interesting. What happened at the bank when the house was financed?

    This caught my eye: “It is unclear if Guergis bought the house with no money down, or whether the bank rolled an additional line of credit or other loan onto the mortgage to bring it up to the full purchase price of the house.” http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/Guergis+great+Ottawa+interest/2755794/story.html

    No responsible bank loan officer would do that. Something smells.

  9. Eugene Parks says:

    who holds the loans for the mortgage? is it really a bank or private trust or what?

    this is not intended to be a “leading question” meant to direct readers to a possible story… it’s an investigative question

    • Eugene Parks says:

      so, given warren’s testiness this am, let me rephrase the question:

      “The transaction was financed through a Bank of Nova Scotia branch in Edmonton, where Guergis’s husband, former Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer, held a seat until the last federal election.”

      So, how is the loan securied?

      Like I said, I don’t know if there is a story here, but following money is seldom a bad thing.

  10. Warren says:

    Read the frigging story.

  11. Bill says:

    Gee, she’s gonna be lonely in that big ole house!

    Hey isn’t impersonating an MP a crime of some sorts?

  12. Paul R. Martin says:

    It was a nice piece of reporting Warren. Obviously an OPP officer talked. On the other hand, both Nazim Gillani and Rahim Jaffer seem to be both bull shitters. Jaffir is clearly on the outs with the Conservative party and Gillani may be a con artist. It is certainly possible that Ontario prosecutors reached a deal with Jaffer in order to go after Gillani. Despite the fond wishes of certain members of the Liberal Party, there is no evidence of any wrong doing by the federal government. This does not smell like another adscam.

    • Jan says:

      Well, in order to come to that conc;lusion don’t we have to examine any ‘green fund’ monies that have been handed out

      • Paul R. Martin says:

        I seem to recall that opposition party members claimed in the House that Jaffer received a sweatheart deal from the Provincial (Liberal government) authorities because of his political affiliations. If the Toronto Star is correct, it appears that Jaffer was small fry and he may have received a sweathart deal from Provincial (Liberal government) because they were after a person who may be a big time fraud artist.

        May I direct you to a story about Jaffer by Don Martin in today’s National Post.

    • parnel says:

      The upcoming probable stimulus scandals will make adscam look like small potatoes

      • Paul R. Martin says:

        What a silly comment. Spending the stimulus money was a three way effort involving the federal government, the provinces and the municipalities. I doubt that all three parties would be willing participants in a scam.

  13. Derek Lipman says:

    The first thing I thought after reading this story, was “holy shit, Kevin Donovan is a bloody good investigative reporter.” His last three or four exposes have been very sharp.

    Where did these people get the coke? Who sells it and benefits from the consumption? Disgraceful. This guy is a Chaucerian fraud and needs to be archived.

  14. parnel says:

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/rahim-jaffer-has-no-influence-with-prime-minister-official-says/article1527555/

    From Jane Tabler’s G&M blog today:

    “The Tory official noted that while “screaming” in an airport is “unacceptable,” she shouldn’t be removed from cabinet because her husband was hanging out with “hookers” and “shysters.”
    ………………………..

    Classic Tory repartee!!!!

  15. Michael S says:

    “Keeping a close watch on Gillani at the dinner, as he always does, was former Toronto Argonaut offensive guard Mike Mihelic, his six-foot-five inch, 310 pound vice-president of business affairs (who owns most of the cars in the driveway).

    Mihelic and Gillani, that night, were feeling heat from York Region Police, who were probing their involvement in a $1.5 million wire transfer fraud against home buildings supply company Rona, a case unrelated to Gillani’s investment schemes.”

    They’re grifters, like the Palins, only without the hunting. It’s clear that it goes deeper than this as they are associating with gangsters.

  16. Elizabeth says:

    Wow. This is like New York – Mafia stuff. Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll!!
    I thought I had read the main article on this – but obviously missed the breaking article.

    That is an incredible story- just when I was giving up on journalists altogether. He is to be congratulated for courage and persistence. He was/is dealing with dangerous people.
    Maybe this explains Helena’s bad temper?

    I have never even tried it – because I’ve seen the fallout – and I know that cocaine affects your thinking – makes you believe you’re more powerful than you are. Also damages your heart, and other things.
    It’s just bizarre that either of them are allowed to have anything to do with the government at all. The entire 10 years of Jaffer’s time as an MP must be scrutinized, and Helena’s as well.

    I suppose in most cases it’s all right to have married people in Parliament, but you have to wonder with this one – because the fact is that the damage is then spread to two government areas, and affects more people, when it goes bad.

    If he is using his MP’s card, he’s basically claiming he’s an MP; and using (or it appears so) the business card of the Minister of State for the Status of Women — that’s really, really corrupt.

  17. Elizabeth says:

    Gillani “may be” a con artist? Surely you’re joking. It’s denial like this that has us in this trouble to start with.

    Why do the Reformers attract such clunkers?

  18. Long Island Ice Tea says:

    There seems to be a bit more to this story that then PMO denial.

    1. Rahim Jaffer claims to have access to government funds and influence.
    2. He was caucus chair of the Conservative Party.
    3. He is married to a cabinet Minister.
    4. He has many direct relationships to senior Ministers and key staffers which may have facilitated access to PMO, Ministers and others – for the benefit of himself, his business and his partners (see conflict of interest guideline for public office holders).
    5. His business partner, Mr. Patrick Glemaud, is a former CPC candidate in Ottawa Vanier and an influential Tory around Ottawa Tory circles and the Multi-cultural outreach team;
    6. Glemaud’s campaign was managed by a Helena Guergis staff member
    7. Another ex-Guergis staffer was promoted to PMO Communication Team after her role in the PEI incident and may be writing the PMO talking points on this file.

    How certain is the PMO that no influence on programs or funding was used by Mr. Jaffer?
    Does the accountability act introduced by this government include special dispensation for former MPs – as long as it is in the interests of the government?

    Hmmm….

  19. Elizabeth says:

    The plot thickens.

    Never underestimate Canadians, Harper.

    I am enjoying this immensely.

  20. jon evan says:

    The musings have mostly been emetic!
    Can not we hold our scorn until all is told?

    “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has
    data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit
    theories, instead of theories to suit facts.”
    — Sherlock Holmes

  21. Elizabeth says:

    I forgot about this one:


    Guergis wobbly after new misstep

    Don Martin, National Post Published: Wednesday, March 31, 2010
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    The ministerial disaster they call Helena Guergis has attracted more controversy, this time having a local paper discover the junior minister’s executive assistant masquerading as a fawning letter-to-the-editor writer.

    The deception is not particularly outrageous or unprecedented and there’s plausible deniability that the secretary of state for women didn’t recognize her staffer’s use of a maiden name to craft those rare Helena hallelujahs in regional newspapers.

    But it’s also theoretically possible Ms. Guergis could win the Miss Potato Blossom contest this summer on Prince Edward Island, the place she described as a “hellhole” during her airport security staff tirade last month. Possible, but unlikely.

    The irony of uncovering this sort of deception inside the smallish Guergis circle of trust is how this links to a 2001 ruckus caused by her husband, former MP Rahim Jaffer.

    While serving as a Conservative MP nine years ago, the politician dispatched an aide to play the role of Rahim Jaffer on an Edmonton radio show, an imitation done so poorly he was promptly busted by the host. Sigh. His and hers pretenders on staff. It could only happen to Rahim and Helena.

    Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/politics/story.html?id=2745967#ixzz0kZzQOurP

  22. Elizabeth says:

    Sorry – that c/p copied more than I expected.

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