TAXPAYERS STUCK WITH $131,000 BILL FOR NDP FRAUD SCANDAL AND COVER-UP

May 12, 2008

Saskatchewan Party MLA Dan D'Autremont wants to know why the NDP has authorized a $131,000 taxpayer-funded severance payment to their former Chief of Staff Jim Fodey, after the NDP claimed he resigned.

Last year, in the wake of the NDP Caucus fraud scandal, NDP MLA Kim Trew said: "Mr. Fodey resigned as a result of incomplete information given to the public and to NDP House Leader Glenn Hagel regarding an incident that occurred in 1992."

The NDP have now changed their story, with NDP MLA and Caucus Chair Frank Quennell now calling it an "involuntary resignation."

D'Autremont said neither story meets the required conditions for a taxpayer-funded severance payment.

"The rules of the Legislative Assembly clearly state that you are only entitled to severance if you are dismissed without cause," D'Autremont said.  "So in order to trigger a severance payment, the NDP must have sent the Legislative Assembly Office a letter stating Mr. Fodey was dismissed without cause."

"This simply doesn't square with any of their public statements, so today, I am calling on Lorne Calvert to clear the air by releasing that letter," D'Autremont said.

D'Autremont said it's outrageous that the NDP's $6,000 fraud scandal and cover-up has now turned into a $131,000 bill to Saskatchewan taxpayers.

"Once again, taxpayers are being forced to clean up the NDP's mess," D'Autremont said.  "If the NDP really want to give Mr. Fodey a severance payment, their party should pay for it, not Saskatchewan taxpayers."