Schreiber calls on Tories to come through with Airbus inquiry

The Harper government has reneged on past demands by two of its own ministers to hold an inquiry into the so-called Airbus affair because it is "scared" of potential revelations, German-Canadian businessman Karlheinz Schreiber has charged during an interview with CBC News.

Schreiber, who faces extradition to Germany where he is wanted on charges of bribery, fraud and tax evasion, said he would have been eager to testify at an inquiry that some members of the current Conservative government demanded while still in Opposition.

"For the last 12 years, more or less, as long as the Liberals were in power, very prominent Canadian Tories asked for an inquiry and [were] yelling like hell to get an inquiry," Schreiber told the CBC's Harvey Cashore in Toronto.

More than a decade ago, opposition MPs began demanding a public inquiry after the federal Liberals paid former prime minister Brian Mulroney $2.1 million to settle a libel case.

Mulroney had brought the legal action against the RCMP and the Department of Justice over allegations that he had received kickbacks for the sale of Airbus aircraft to Air Canada in the 1980s. Those allegations were never substantiated.

Schreiber was accused of paying kickbacks in the Airbus affair, in his role as a middle man for European companies doing business in Canada. No charges were ever laid against him in this country.

Immediately after the 1997 settlement with Mulroney, Chuck Strahl, now the minister of agriculture in Stephen Harper's government, called for a parliamentary committee to investigate the affair in order to examine the conduct of the RCMP and the Liberal Party of Canada.

"I believe that could get to the bottom of some of this," Strahl said at the time. "Barring that, there should be a public inquiry."

In 1998, Peter MacKay, who is now minister of foreign affairs, rose in the House of Commons, asking when Jean Chretien's Liberal government would "clear the air on this sordid affair" by calling such an inquiry.

"If the prime minister and the present minister of health [Allan Rock] had no roles in this affair, surely there is nothing to hide," he said. "When this happens, Canadians will be allowed to finally see the truth.

"I have to ask the question: What is the government afraid of? If the prime minister and his government really cared for this country, and the reputation of fairness and democracy, they would themselves call for a public inquiry and present themselves as witnesses."

A spokesperson for Strahl's office would not say if the minister still supports a public inquiry into the Airbus affair.

"The government considers the case closed," he told CBC News late Wednesday, suggesting any further questions about Airbus go to the Department of Justice.

MacKay's office did not return a call about his earlier push for an inquiry.

Former Conservative PM also wanted answers

Mulroney himself also called for an official inquiry.

"The only way this can be dealt with is a royal commission of inquiry into this entire matter," he told the Sun newspaper chain in the fall of 1997.

"You can give it a limited mandate to examine the conduct of the ministers and the key personnel and my own... so that the Canadian people will know all of the facts," Mulroney said at the time.

Schreiber told CBC News he has written to Harper asking him to hold the inquiry that his MPs once demanded. Schreiber has also written to Mulroney, asking for his support.

"It would be a normal expectation from a Canadian and a Conservative that when the Conservatives came to power, this is the moment now when we are going to have an inquiry and Canadians are going to learn what really happened," Schreiber said.

"I have only one explanation for the whole situation. They are scared of what the outcome might be. You know inquiries - when they start, you never know where they end. I have a suspicion there is something on the Conservative side."

German-Canadian businessman faces extradition

Schreiber said he would be willing to testify at a public inquiry. However, he may be extradited before he gets the opportunity.

He said his Alberta lawyer, Robert Hladun, has filed an affidavit with the Federal Court in Alberta, outlining complaints against the RCMP and the federal government - complaints he says were once shared by Conservative MPs.

"We're at a stage now that the egregious behaviour of the government towards Mr. Schreiber, citizen, is what the affidavit attempts to highlight."

Hladun is also asking for the Conservatives to hold an inquiry.

"There may be some concern as to how large it is," he said. "But having said that, that is all the more reason why there should be this inquiry, because it does deal with a Canadian citizen, how his rights were affected by various agencies."