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Five outstanding questions about the charges against Mike Duffy and his pending trial

It's official, Mike Duffy has been charged with 31 counts of fraud, breach of trust and bribery.

The RCMP announced the charges, Thursday, after a year plus investigation into the suspended senator's living expense claims, travel expense claims, contracts with third-parties and that $90,000 cheque he received from Nigel Wright to repay his alleged inappropriate expenses.

Duffy released a statement on Friday suggesting that he was looking forward to his 'day in court.'

"The court process will allow Canadians to hear all of the facts," he said in statement.

"They will then understand that I have not violated the Criminal Code."

[ Related: RCMP charge Sen. Mike Duffy with fraud, breach of trust and bribery ]

But what will happen in the weeks and months ahead? How long will this all take? Could Duffy's legal team actually call Stephen Harper to the stand?

And if Duffy is found guilty, what penalties could he face?

Here's some of that information we've gathered from different sources.

What can we expect on Duffy's first court date?

Duffy is expected to make his first court appearance on September 16th.

Lawyer David Debenham, a partner at Ottawa-based McMillan, says we shouldn't expect too much excitement on that day.

"The first appearance will involve Mr Duffy and his counsel, Mr Bayne, appearing and probably little else unless Mr. Bayne has some requests," Debenham told Yahoo Canada News.

"A timetable for Crown disclosure of all its documents may be discussed with the judge. Normally the defendant does not plead to the charge, but Mr. Bayne may want to get the 'not guilty' plea in right now given the press coverage."

When can we expect a trial?

Debenham says that a trial could happen in as early as eight months but that his "best guess" is 18 months from now.

He adds, however, that Duffy's counsel could request a sooner date.

The timing of the trial may have some political ramifications ahead of the next federal election scheduled for October 2015.

If the trial falls before the election, there could be some facts come out that embarrass the Tories.

On the other hand, a trial after the election means that questions will continue to linger about the prime minister's knowledge of that $90,000 cheque.

Debenham predicts that the trial will last about six weeks.

Will Stephen Harper be called to the witness stand?

Duffy's camp has hinted — in the past — that they wouldn't hesitate to call senior party officials — including Stephen Harper to the witness stand.

But as explained by CBC News, "parliamentary privilege grants all members of Parliament (which includes both MPs and senators, for the record) a blanket exemption from testifying in court in any trial — civil, criminal or even military court — when the House is in session, or within 40 days of dissolution or the opening of a new Parliament."

So if he does get called to the stand, he could cite parliamentary privilege but that would certainly have political consequences.

[ Related: Do the Mike Duffy charges affect the Conservative Party’s chances at re-election? ]

Harper's other option — however — would be to claim that his testimony would be of no benefit to the court.

"The Prime Minister can oppose a subpoena on the basis of...he has no evidence to give that can help the court [that] he did not see anything first hand," Debenham said.

Why did Mike Duffy get charged with accepting a bribe when Nigel Wright didn't get charged with offering a bribe?

It's a question that a lot of people — including Mike Duffy's lawyer — have: If Duffy is charged with accepting a bribe, why isn't anyone being charged with offering a bribe?

MacLeans Magazine did a great job wading through this question, here.

Rob Walsh, the former House of Commons law clerk and counsel, who has been closely following the Duffy file, says it is possible the RCMP are preparing to argue that ill-intent existed on only one side of the transaction. The bribery charge—section 119—hinges on the word “corruptly,” Walsh notes. “It says ‘corruptly gives’ and ‘corruptly gets’.

If Duffy is found guilty of any or all the charges, what are the potential penalties? Could he face jail time?

Some recent political convictions might give us an idea of what penalties Duffy could face if he's found guilty:

Joe Fontana: The former mayor of London and Liberal MP received a four month conditional sentence under house arrest and 18 months probation for uttering forged documents, fraud and breach of trust in relation to a 2005 incident when he, as a federal cabinet minister, is believed to have billed taxpayers $1,700 for his son's wedding reception.

Senator Raymond Lavigne: In 2011, former Liberal Senator Raymond Lavigne was convicted of fraud and breach of trust for inflated mileage claims and for using Senate staff for personal chores like chopping down trees at his home. He served 6 months in jail and was ordered to pay $10,000 to a charity.

Dave Wilson: In 2010, in Nova Scotia, as part of a major expense scandal investigation, four politicians were found to have falsified receipts and forged documents. According to CBC News, Liberal MLA Dave Wilson served four months of a nine-month sentence in jail for submitting "36 false expense receipts using five people's names – including his niece and brother-in-law – totalling $60,995."

Moreover, according to the Canadian Press, the bribery charge, carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in jail.

(Photo courtesy of The Canadian Press)

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