Karlheinz Schreiber, German born, now Canadian citizen, was about to be extradited to Germany, where he had been charged with numerous fiscal offences. Among them were some charges that observers credit as having contributed to the untergang of German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who ruled from 1982 until 1998.

Days before he was "put on the plane” he brought out an affidavit that his association with then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney was spurious. Present Prime Minister Stephen Harper was drawn into the fray as well.

At first Harper decided to hold an independent inquiry chaired by the Chair of the University of Waterloo, but then allowed an Ethics Committee hearing chaired by Liberal House Member Paul Szabo.

This brought out several actions to the forefront. Schreiber had already been in the Toronto West Detention Centre, awaiting deportation to Germany on tax charges, when he was brought to Ottawa. The weekend before the federal authorities had tried to deport Schreiber, but were prevented by the prison guards in Toronto.

Schreiber was then brought to Parliament Hill in handcuffs, dressed in scruffy clothing while waving his manacled hands and making disparaging comments about "Canadian justice".

The main supporting witness to Schreiber’s denials of accusations is former PM Mulroney, who has, no surprise, denied all of what has been tossed at him.

The hardest questioning to date has come from NDP MP Pat Martin, who outright stated that he didn't believe Mulroney's answer. Martin believes that Mulroney’s association with German right-wingers swung the direction of Canada's PC Party. Stay tuned…

Indications, however, are that this is a story that will fizzle.

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