Mulroney did nothing wrong by accepting cash payments: Schreiber
Karlheinz Schreiber said there was nothing wrong withformer prime minister Brian Mulroney accepting three envelopesof $300,000 in cashbetween 1993 and 1994, saying that dealing in cash was common in Europe.
"We have a different relationship to cash in Europe than you have here. Credit cards are not that common," Schreiber told CBC's Peter Mansbridge in an interview shortly after theGerman-Canadian businessman's Tuesday appearance before the ethics committee which is investigating his relationship with Mulroney.
"People have to pay eight per cent [interest] or five per cent, you get a much better bargainwhen you pay cash and you don't want ... everybody [to] know what you buy."
Schreiber claimed the money, handed out in hotel rooms in envelopes containing $1,000 bills, was for Mulroneyto help establish alight-armoured vehicle factory for Schreiber's client Thyssen.
Schreibersaid he had never given cash in envelopes to other politicians or to bureaucrats before his exchange withMulroney.
Schreiber claimed Mulroney said "thank you" when he gave him the cash and put it in his briefcase, adding thatthe former prime minister didn't count the money.
Asked what he thought Mulroney would do with $1,000 bills, Schreiber said: "It was his problem, not mine. What do you think,I can bring $100,000 in $20 bills?"
Schreiber said he didn't cut Mulroney a cheque because there were no cheques for the Switzerland bank account.
Schreiber, who is out on bail while he fights extradition to Germany to face fraud and other charges, said he neverconsideredthe payments to be moneynobodywould ever know about, and that he expected Mulroney to send him a bill or receipt forthecash.
Schreiber isnow suing Mulroney to recoupthe $300,000 in cash payments, allegingthe former prime ministerdidn't do anything for the money.
Mulroney, who is set to testify before the committee Thursday, has never publicly talked about the $300,000 he accepted from Schreiber. Mulroney's spokesperson said in November that Mulroney admits taking the cash was a "colossal mistake."
None of the allegations against Mulroney has been proven in court.