OTTAWA — Karlheinz Schreiber appears to be negotiating some time out of the slammer to prepare for a grilling before a Commons committee next week.
But Mr. Schreiber shouldn't be allowed to “negotiate the terms under which he will testify,” says New Democrat MP Pat Martin, who sits on the Commons ethics committee.
“He's been called here and we expect the authorities to compel him to attend,” he said, adding he believes Mr. Schreiber has requested that he be granted bail to testify at the hearing.
The committee, which can compel witnesses to appear if it does not conflict with legal proceedings, wants the German-Canadian businessman to testify about his dealings with former prime minister Brian Mulroney.
Two days — Tuesday and Thursday next week — have been set aside as possible hearing dates.
But sources have told The Canadian Press that Mr. Schreiber has asked for two or three days to review documents he has tucked away at his Ottawa home.
Mr. Schreiber is currently in detention at a Toronto jail as he awaits possible extradition to Germany, where he faces bribery, fraud and tax-evasion charges.
Mr. Schreiber's lawyer Edward Greenspan has also requested information on the hearings, said Liberal MP Paul Szabo, chairman of the ethics committee.
“I did get a faxed letter from Mr. Greenspan asking a couple of questions,” he said.
Granting Mr. Schreiber time to review his papers is not outside the realm of possibilities, said Mr. Szabo.
“That's not an unreasonable request that he have the time,” he said.
But that could delay his appearance at the committee until Thursday at the earliest.
The committee has also called on Mr. Mulroney to testify in early December about the $300,000 he received in cash instalments from Schreiber.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper had already called a public inquiry into business dealings between Mr. Mulroney and Mr. Schreiber, which won't begin until some time next year.
There have been suggestions that Mr. Schreiber could appear before the ethics committee via video conference if necessary.
But that should only be considered as a last resort, said Mr. Martin.
“There's a sense of urgency to get him to at least tell his side of the story to our committee before he's kicked out of the country,” he said.
“So in the worst-case scenario, a video conference with Mr. Schreiber would be preferable to no hearings at all.”
However, such a link to Mr. Schreiber from his jail cell in Toronto hasn't been seriously contemplated, said Mr. Szabo.
On Thursday, Mr. Schreiber launched a last-ditch appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada in an attempt to stop his imminent extradition to Germany.
Mr. Schreiber's removal order has been stayed only until Dec. 1.
He has claimed that Mr. Mulroney had accepted $300,000 in cash from him, and that the former Tory prime minister agreed to the arrangement while he was still in office.
Mr. Schreiber has hinted he has more information and claims he's eager to talk — but has made clear that he would clam up if he's extradited to Germany.
It's unclear whether Mr. Mulroney will appear at the hearings.
A spokesman for the retired PM has refused to say whether Mr. Mulroney would agree to be grilled by MPs at the ethics committee.
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