A day timer entry provided to the upcoming inquiry into business and financial dealings between Karlheinz Schreiber and former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney may provide an important clue about the distribution of the secret Airbus commissions.
On December 18, 1992 Schreiber made a note in the margins of his personal daytimer dividing up some of the secret Airbus commissions. Schreiber routinely kept track of the commissions, because every new plane that arrived at Air Canada from Airbus Industrie triggered more commission money into European bank accounts.
On this particular day Schreiber wrote, “FDM”, “230” divided by five equals “460”, and beside it “PM.”
Schreiber's daytimer from Dec. 18, 1992 [PDF 37kb]
In a column directly below that math, Schreiber wrote several names, “Marc” for Marc Lalonde, “Georgio” for Giorgio Pelossi his accountant, and “Fred” for Fred Doucet long-time friend of Mulroney and Schreiber lobbyist. And at the top of the list was written “PM”. It’s not clear to whom PM referred.
When asked by the fifth estate’s Linden MacIntyre, Schreiber said he didn’t immediately remember, “It’s difficult, it’s really difficult.”
“This PM is so confusing because I never, to say it bluntly, I don’t recall that I ever used for Brian Mulroney, PM.” Schreiber told the fifth estate.
The fifth estate has read through Schreiber’s 1991, 1992, and 1993 daytimers and during the interview reminded Schreiber that he used PM to refer to Mulroney on several occasions. However, Schreiber was still non-committal about whether this particular PM referred to Mulroney.
“But you’re not telling me that the suggestion that PM is what most people would think it is, is a ridiculous suggestion?” MacIntyre asked Schreiber.
“No, I’m not saying that,” said Schreiber.
“There is no doubt that this is airbus related?” MacIntyre inquired.
“Mm hmm.” Schreiber replied.
The fifth estate has no evidence that whomever PM may have referred to knew they were on this list or ever received this amount.
