The New Brunswick government is calling on the provincial Liberals to pick up a $72,000 legal bill, which is the amount former premier Shawn Graham spent in his defence on a conflict-of-interest charge.
Graham was found to have been in conflict when the former Liberal government granted $50 million in loan guarantees to a company that later declared bankruptcy.
The current Tory government says those costs shouldn’t be coming from the public purse.
“Most times, it’s the successful party who has their costs paid, not the unsuccessful party,” says New Brunswick Health Minister Hugh Flemming. “I don’t know why, given the result of the report, that the people of New Brunswick and the taxpayers of New Brunswick should pick up this tab.”
In a statement, the Liberals say it is standard government procedure for a government member to have costs covered for legal hearings.
The statement also says the same would apply to any member of the current Tory government.
