Senator Mike Duffy returns to Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 2, 2016.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
The Crown will not appeal Senator Mike Duffy's acquittal, a spokesman said Tuesday.
Mr. Duffy was found not guilty last month on 31 charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery, and has since returned to the Senate.
"After a thorough review of the judge's decision and the legal aspects of this case, the Crown has concluded that there is no legal basis upon which to appeal the acquittals," Brendan Crawley, a spokesman for the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney-General, wrote in an e-mail.
"The Crown's right of appeal from an acquittal is limited to errors of law, and does not include errors relating to factual matters."
Mr. Duffy's charges related to his living and travel expenses in the Red Chamber, as well as Senate contracts for uses such as makeup, a personal trainer consultant and to pay a volunteer in his office.
In his April 21 ruling, Justice Charles Vaillancourt laid much of the blame for Mr. Duffy's legal woes on the conduct of Stephen Harper's prime minister's office, which he called "mind-boggling and shocking."
He said he found no "sinister motive" in Mr. Duffy's travel claims and said his expenses were in accordance with Senate rules as they existed at the time.
The judge said there was no mandatory training on Senate policies and "senators were unreasonably left to their own devices."
Mr. Duffy's lawyer, Donald Bayne, said Tuesday the decision is "very reassuring" for Mr. Duffy and his wife, Heather.
He said Mr. Duffy is entitled to two years in lost wages as a result of his previous suspension from the Senate, as well as reimbursement for his legal fees.
"There are things I'm going to be discussing with him, definitely," Mr. Bayne said.
On Friday, the Crown also dropped fraud and breach of trust charges against retired senator Mac Harb. A lawyer for Senator Patrick Brazeau, whose trial is set to start next June, says he also wants the charges dropped. Last week the RCMP ended its three-year investigation of Senator Pamela Wallin without pressing charges.
Laura Stone