賈斯廷·特魯多于2015年當(dāng)選加拿大總理時(shí),承諾在政治上保持開(kāi)放、盡責(zé)和透明。不過(guò)短短一個(gè)月,他的聲譽(yù)跌至谷底。
特魯多是曾經(jīng)在任16年的前總理皮埃爾·特魯多的兒子,他取得了很多成績(jī):加拿大失業(yè)率40年來(lái)最低、工資增長(zhǎng)10年來(lái)最快,債務(wù)與GDP之比在七國(guó)集團(tuán)中最低。
但特魯多被指控干涉聯(lián)邦刑事案件調(diào)查,這宗仍在發(fā)酵的政治丑聞?wù)谒毫阉膬?nèi)閣,在野黨還要求他辭職。
到底出了什么事?
特魯多及其高級(jí)助手被控向時(shí)任加拿大總檢察長(zhǎng)、司法部長(zhǎng)喬迪·威爾遜-雷布爾德施壓,要求其在加拿大工程公司巨頭SNC-蘭萬(wàn)靈(SNC-Lavalin)被訴案中網(wǎng)開(kāi)一面。
威爾遜-雷布爾德說(shuō),向她施壓的高級(jí)政府官員主要來(lái)自于特魯多辦公室,他們要求她命令檢方與SNC-蘭萬(wàn)靈達(dá)成庭外和解。SNC-蘭萬(wàn)靈公司總部設(shè)在蒙特利爾,所在的魁北克省具有十分重要的政治地位。
她補(bǔ)充說(shuō),特魯多稱(chēng)必須要找到解決方案,否則可能會(huì)失去很多工作崗位,而SNC-蘭萬(wàn)靈可能會(huì)把總部從蒙特利爾遷至倫敦。
與此同時(shí),如果這起涉嫌欺詐和腐敗的案件達(dá)成了庭外和解,SNC-蘭萬(wàn)靈可以免于長(zhǎng)達(dá)十年的加拿大政府合同競(jìng)標(biāo)禁令,政府合同占該公司收入的很大一部分。
威爾遜-雷布爾德回復(fù)道,如果檢察官?zèng)Q定不庭外和解,她不會(huì)對(duì)此進(jìn)行干涉。后來(lái)她于1月辭去司法部長(zhǎng)職務(wù),出任退伍軍人事務(wù)部長(zhǎng),后又于2月徹底辭去內(nèi)閣職務(wù)。2月初,多倫多的《環(huán)球郵報(bào)》(Globe and Mail)首次報(bào)道了這一丑聞。
據(jù)《華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》(Wall Street Journal)報(bào)道,威爾遜-雷布爾德在2月底向議會(huì)委員會(huì)作證時(shí)說(shuō):“我受到了來(lái)自于政府內(nèi)部許多人持續(xù)不斷的壓力,他們?cè)噲D用政治干涉起訴裁量權(quán)?!?/p>
針對(duì)SNC-蘭萬(wàn)靈的指控是什么?
加拿大檢察機(jī)關(guān)2015年指控這家在全球各地?fù)碛?萬(wàn)名雇員的公司涉嫌腐敗和欺詐,有關(guān)指控和該公司2001年至2011年間在利比亞的活動(dòng)有關(guān)。SNC-蘭萬(wàn)靈的行政人員被控向穆阿邁爾·卡扎菲手下的利比亞官員行賄4800萬(wàn)加元,以拿下當(dāng)?shù)氐暮贤T诩幽么髧?guó)內(nèi),該公司的一位前任首席執(zhí)行官于本月認(rèn)罪,涉及蒙特利爾醫(yī)院建設(shè)的賄賂丑聞指控屬實(shí)。
特魯多怎么說(shuō)?
據(jù)《衛(wèi)報(bào)》(Guardian)報(bào)道,特魯多并沒(méi)有否認(rèn)他和助手曾經(jīng)就SNC-蘭萬(wàn)靈案與威爾遜-雷布爾德進(jìn)行過(guò)交談,但聲稱(chēng)他們的討論在規(guī)定的范圍內(nèi)。
據(jù)《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》(New York Times)報(bào)道,特魯多在周一的自由黨集會(huì)上說(shuō):“我知道菲爾波特女士已經(jīng)考慮了一段時(shí)間。雖然失望,但我理解她的決定?!彼a(bǔ)充道,這起政治爭(zhēng)議事件“引發(fā)了重要討論”,還說(shuō)“還有更多的問(wèn)題需要回答,未來(lái)幾天和幾周內(nèi)還有更多的話(huà)要說(shuō)?!?/p>
現(xiàn)在是什么情況?
2月11日,加拿大道德規(guī)范專(zhuān)員對(duì)上述干涉事件展開(kāi)聯(lián)邦調(diào)查。2月18日,特魯多最親密的顧問(wèn)、多年老友杰拉德·巴茨辭職,他還于周三在議會(huì)委員會(huì)作證。
事情的最新發(fā)展是,特魯多曾經(jīng)最親密的盟友之一、財(cái)政委員會(huì)主席簡(jiǎn)·菲爾波特于周一辭職,稱(chēng)她對(duì)政府失去了信心。
很遺憾,我要從這個(gè)職責(zé)重大的崗位上辭職。我必須遵守我的核心價(jià)值觀、道德責(zé)任和憲法義務(wù)。遵循一個(gè)人的原則行事可能會(huì)付出代價(jià),但放棄這些原則會(huì)產(chǎn)生更大的代價(jià)。pic.twitter.com/EwO5dtdgG6
— 簡(jiǎn)·菲爾波特(@janephilpott) ,2019年3月4日
會(huì)影響特魯多2019年選舉嗎?
特魯多要參加10月選舉,謀求連任。他需要得到魁北克的支持才能獲勝,如果SNC-蘭萬(wàn)靈裁減工作崗位,將影響他取勝的幾率?!度A爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》報(bào)道稱(chēng),該丑聞曝光以來(lái),民調(diào)顯示特魯多和自由黨政府支持率正在下降,在野黨保守黨處于領(lǐng)先地位。保守黨黨首安德魯·希爾于星期一再次呼吁特魯多下臺(tái)。
賈斯廷·特魯多對(duì)司法進(jìn)行了前所未有的政治干預(yù),他不能再繼續(xù)擔(dān)任總理。上周,我說(shuō)他已經(jīng)不再具備領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人所需要的道德權(quán)威。今天,特魯多核心圈子里的一名高級(jí)成員也得出了同樣的結(jié)論。我的聲明:https://t.co/lNe7DbQO5s pic.twitter.com/yIXZLX4J6M
— 安德魯·希爾 (@AndrewScheer),2019年3月5日(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)) 譯者:Agatha |
When he was first elected as Canada’s prime minister in 2015, Justin Trudeau promised openness, accountability and transparency in politics. In just one month, that reputation has been all but lost.
Trudeau, the son of 16-year former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, has a lot going for him: Canada has the lowest levels of unemployment in 40 years, the fastest growing wages in a decade and the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio among the G7 nations.
But the current political scandal, in which Trudeau is accused of meddling in a federal criminal investigation, is tearing his cabinet apart as opposition leaders call for his resignation.
What’s going on, exactly?
Trudeau and his top aides are accused of pressuring Jody Wilson-Raybould, then Canadian attorney general and justice minister, to go easy on the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin, a major Canadian engineering firm.
Wilson-Raybould said senior government officials, mostly from Trudeau’s office, pressured her to order prosecutors to cut a plea deal with SNC-Lavalin, which is based in Montreal in the politically important province of Quebec.
She added that Trudeau said a solution must be found because otherwise many jobs could be lost, and SNC-Lavalin could move its headquarters from Montreal to London.
At the same time a plea deal in the fraud and corruption case would have allowed SNC-Lavalin to avoid a decade-long ban on bidding on government contracts in Canada, which make up a significant portion of the company’s revenue.
In response, Wilson-Raybould said she wasn’t going to interfere in a decision by prosecutors to not pursue a plea deal. She then resigned from her justice posts in January and became minister of veterans affairs, before resigning from the Cabinet altogether in February. Toronto’s Globe and Mail first reported on the scandal at the beginning of February.
“I experienced a consistent and sustained effort by many people within the government to seek to politically interfere in the exercise of prosecutorial discretion,” Wilson-Raybould testified before a parliamentary committee at the end of February, the Wall Street Journal reports.
What are the charges against SNC-Lavalin?
Canadian prosecutors filed corruption and fraud charges against SNC-Lavalin, which employs 50,000 workers worldwide, in 2015 related to activity in Libya from 2001 to 2011. Its officials are accused of bribing Libyan officials under Muammar Qaddafi with C$48 million to secure contracts there. Back home in Canada, a former CEO pleaded guilty this month to charges related to a bribery scandal involving the construction of a Montreal hospital.
What does Trudeau say?
Trudeau has not denied that he and aides spoke to Wilson-Raybould about the SNC-Lavalin case, the Guardian reports, but claims their discussions were within the bounds of the rules.
At a Liberal Party rally on Monday, per the New York Times, Trudeau said, “I know that Ms. Philpott has felt this way for some time. While I’m disappointed, I understand her decision.” He added that the political controversy “has generated important discussion” and said, “there are more questions to be answered and more to be said in the coming days and weeks.”
What’s happening now?
Canada’s Ethics Commissioner launched a federal investigation into the alleged interference on February 11. Gerald Butts, Trudeau’s closest adviser and a longtime friend, resigned on February 18 and is scheduled to testify before a parliamentary committee on Wednesday.
In a new development, Treasury Board President Jane Philpott —once one of Trudeau’s closest allies — resigned on Monday, saying she had lost confidence in the government.
It grieves me to resign from a portfolio where I was at work to deliver an important mandate. I must abide by my core values, my ethical responsibilities, constitutional obligations. There can be a cost to acting on one’s principles, but there is a bigger cost to abandoning them. pic.twitter.com/EwO5dtdgG6
— Jane Philpott (@janephilpott) March 4, 2019
Will this affect Trudeau’s chances in the 2019 election?
Trudeau is up for re-election in October. He needs to carry Quebec to win, and SNC-Lavalin’s potential loss of jobs there would have been a blow to his chances. WSJ reports that polling since the scandal emerged indicates Trudeau and the Liberal government are bleeding support and the opposition Conservatives are holding a lead. Conservative leader Andrew Scheer repeated his call for Trudeau to step down on Monday.
Justin Trudeau cannot continue as PM given his unprecedented political interference in the course of justice. Last week, I said he had lost the moral authority to govern. Today, a senior member of his inner circle came to the same conclusion. My statement: https://t.co/lNe7DbQO5s pic.twitter.com/yIXZLX4J6M
— Andrew Scheer (@AndrewScheer) March 5, 2019 |