Evidence of meeting #16 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 39th Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was money.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Giorgio Pelossi  As an Individual
Clerk of the Committee  Ms. Erica Pereira

Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC

So you saw all the money coming in and going out, perhaps not right up until the final phase, but you did see the money. Is that correct?

Giorgio Pelossi

That is correct.

Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC

How much money came in with the $20 million from Airbus over that period of time?

9:50 a.m.

As an Individual

Giorgio Pelossi

About $25 to $30 million.

Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC

So Airbus accounted for most of it.

9:50 a.m.

As an Individual

Giorgio Pelossi

No, perhaps it was not as much as that. There was about $12 million from Airbus and $4 million from Thyssen. So it was a little less. It amounted to between $15 and $20 million.

Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC

So that accounted for the revenues of IAL over this period, essentially.

9:50 a.m.

As an Individual

Giorgio Pelossi

Yes, there was $1 million from Messerschmitt for the helicopters.

Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC

You left in 1991. Do you assume that other funds came in, given the contracts that had been signed?

9:50 a.m.

As an Individual

Giorgio Pelossi

I assume that the rest of the Airbus commissions came in, yes.

Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC

As the manager, you were required to sign cheques, to manage the funds. Earlier, you spoke about the $5 million that came in on October 5, 1988. I imagine that you wrote some cheques at that time. Earlier you spoke about a figure of $500,000. Is that correct?

9:50 a.m.

As an Individual

Giorgio Pelossi

Yes, it was about that.

Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC

And the rest, $4.5 million, went into other accounts. If I understood you correctly, Mr. Schreiber left with cash.

9:50 a.m.

As an Individual

Giorgio Pelossi

No, he took it in the form of a cheque, which he cashed at the Swiss Bank Corporation.

Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC

What do you mean when you say that he cashed it?

9:50 a.m.

As an Individual

Giorgio Pelossi

He deposited the cheque into his account.

Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC

He deposited it into his own account.

9:50 a.m.

As an Individual

Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC

The $5 million in question was deposited into the IAL account. Is that right?

9:50 a.m.

As an Individual

Giorgio Pelossi

The IAL account. Yes, that is correct.

Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC

When you refer to his account, are you referring to the Kensington account?

9:50 a.m.

As an Individual

Giorgio Pelossi

No, I am talking about his account in Zurich.

Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC

His personal account.

9:50 a.m.

As an Individual

Giorgio Pelossi

The IAL and Kensington accounts were in Liechtenstein.

Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC

I see. So there was a personal account into which he deposited the $4.5 million.