Inside Politics

UPDATED -- Attention Richard Colvin: The cheque is in the mail!

by Kady O'Malley Posted: January 27, 2010 12:04 PM Last Updated: January 27, 2010 12:45 PM
... or at least in the departmental out-box. 

Just three days after Colvin's lawyers sent a letter to the Military Police Complaints Commission that claimed the government was dragging its feet in paying his legal bills, we got the following note from a spokesperson for the Afghanistan Task Force, in response to an earlier query from Colleague Barton: 

Under Treasury Board guidelines, the Deputy Minister has authority to authorize the payments for legal assistance up to a maximum of $50,000 should that be necessary in this case.
 
When Mr. Colvin first applied for legal assistance, the Department assessed that representation before the Military Police Complaints Commission (MPCC) and the Parliamentary Committee hearing would be in the order of $20,000 and that was the amount initially pre-authorised. This amount has subsequently been reviewed and increased to $50,000 to reflect changing circumstances.
 
Two legal bills from Mr. Colvin's former counsel have also been paid in full. A third invoice from his former counsel was received in December 2009. That has now been reviewed and approved.
 
Which means that the invoice that, according to DFAIT, was still "under review" on Monday has now been approved. So, how much is left in that $50,000 budget -- and what happens when the money runs out? I've asked the department, and I'll let you know what I find out. 

UPDATE: In response to the latest developments, Colvin's attorneys -- can I start calling them "Team Colvin" yet? -- have let the MPCC know that "after a delay of two months, and following [their] most recent letter to the Commission, the Government of Canada has today approved further legal indemnification for Mr. Colvin's legal fees." 

Tags: blackberry jungle, richard colvin