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Mike Duffy trial day 14: Former Senate finance chief to focus on travel claims

Nicole Proulx, the former director of Senate finance, will continue her testimony today at the Mike Duffy trial, as Crown prosecutor Jason Neubauer is expected to pick up where he left off, focusing on the rules guiding senators' travel claims and expenses.

The Crown has questioned the legitimacy of some of Duffy's travel claims, along with a number of other services expensed by the suspended senator.

Neubauer said he will finish questioning Proulx this morning, on the 14th day of the trial, meaning Duffy's lawyer Donald Bayne will spend the rest of the day cross-examining her.

Duffy has pleaded not guilty to 31 charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery related to expenses he claimed as a senator and later repaid with money provided by the prime minister's former chief of staff Nigel Wright. The trial is being held at a provincial court in Ottawa.

Proulx has been a witness since Wednesday, going over the $65,000 worth of contracts Duffy entered into with his friend Gerald Donohue, who the Crown alleges used the money to pay for inappropriate or non-parliamentary services for the now suspended senator. She has testified that Duffy did not have the discretion to change the nature of the work described in those contracts, meaning money allocated for those contracts could not be used for other Senate services.

Court has heard that Donohue issued cheques for services expensed by Duffy that included payments to an office volunteer, a makeup artist, a photo processing firm and a personal fitness trainer.

On Thursday, Proulx testified that bills for makeup, personal fitness and personal and family pictures do not fall under parliamentary business and cannot be expensed.

She also testified that she rejected a claim by Duffy in 2009 requesting compensation for makeup services he used before posing for a Senate portrait. Makeup, she said, is not eligible for reimbursement, even if used for a Senate-related activity.

Proulx said she had written a letter to Duffy explaining the reasons for rejecting the claim. She added that he had the option to appeal her decision to the Senate internal economy committee — a group of senators that oversees Senate administration.

Proulx said the makeup issue did end up on the committee's agenda, but was withdrawn by Duffy moments before it was scheduled to come up for discussion.

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