MULRONEY Fights Back

NOT A CENT FROM ANYONE On November 18, 1995 Mulroney lawyer Harvey Yarosky announces a $50-million lawsuit against the federal government. Watch clip.	NO PAYMENTS The unofficial translation of Mulroney's statement of claim against the Federal Government filed on November 20, 1995 says that he “never received any of the alleged payments, in any form, from any person… for any consideration whatsoever.” See document.	THE GOVERNMENT BACKS DOWN January 6, 1997 Alan Rock announced the government will pay Brian Mulroney $2.1 million out of court settlement. Watch clip.

It wasn’t long after the RCMP’s investigation into Brian Mulroney’s alleged connection with the Airbus affair became public that he fought back with an aggressive legal campaign. Mulroney hired three of the best lawyers in the country as well as a public relations firm. He sued the Government of Canada for $50 million. It was a gamble – after all, he’d recently received $300,000 from Karlheinz Schreiber. But, it was all cash and almost impossible to trace.

And Mulroney wasn’t about to make it any easier. At one point, while under oath, Mulroney asserted boldly: “I had never had any dealings with [Karlheinz Schreiber.]” It worked. The Government of Canada didn’t just back down, they fled the field. Then federal Justice Minister, Allan Rock apologized and more. “It should be noted that the government and the RCMP have decided that costs are to be paid to achieve this settlement,” Rock announced at a news conference. The Canadian taxpayer would pay for all of Mulroney’s legal and PR costs -- $2.1 million.

Next: The Coverup