The judge in the influence-peddling trial of Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien ruled Tuesday that questions about a meeting Terry Kilrea had with a federal minister were posed in good faith during his cross-examination.

On Thursday, O'Brien's lawyer, Michael Edelson, asked Kilrea, O'Brien's opponent in the 2006 mayoral election, about discussions he'd had in 2006 with then Treasury Board president John Baird.

Kilrea has accused O'Brien's campaign of offering to pay his campaign expenses and to help him get an appointment on the National Parole Board if he pulled out of the mayoral race.

Edelson had asked if Kilrea's possible appointment to the board was mentioned when Kilrea met Baird, currently transport minister and MP for the riding of Ottawa West-Nepean, on July 19, 2006.

Baird has denied talking about an appointment with Kilrea, and said Edelson misinterpreted a statement he gave to police in October 2007 in which he talked about the appointment

According to a transcript of that statement, Baird told police: "It [the parole board job] never came up in the meeting where he met with me."

But in a transcript from an earlier police interview he gave on May 4, 2007, Baird is reported as saying, "Terry Kilrea brought this issue of the parole board [up] during the meeting."

He went on to tell police Kilrea had first raised the issue of an appointment in an email and then at the meeting, "we had a bit more of a substantive discussion about it."

Because of that apparent contradiction, Justice Douglas Cunningham decided Tuesday to allow Edelson to continue his cross-examination of Kilrea regarding the discussion with Baird.

Cunningham ruled that Edelson's questions to Kilrea were posed in good faith and were "not inappropriate" even if some documents supported Baird's claim.

Kilrea has sworn an affidavit outlining his accusations against O'Brien, which led to a police investigation and the charges of influence peddling against O'Brien.

On Thursday, Kilrea denied that the parole board job was part of his discussion with Baird.

And on Thursday evening, Baird's office issued a statement that backed up Kilrea's testimony.

Baird's chief of staff, Chris Froggatt, called the assertion that Baird and Kilrea had discussed the appointment "incorrect" and said Edelson misinterpreted the police statement Baird made to police in which he talked about the appointment.

"The police statement is clear. The issue was never discussed during the meeting between Mr. Baird and Mr. Kilrea," Froggatt's statement said. "The comments Mr. Edelson attributed to Mr. Baird were made to the police and not made to Mr. Kilrea."

The cross-examination of Kilrea continues Wednesday.