Sen. Mike Duffy said in court Monday afternoon that he never believed the expenses paid back to the Senate with a $90,000 cheque from former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s chief of staff were invalid and that he was initially unaware of the PMO’s plan to pay them back.

Those assertions about the famous $90,000 cheque from Nigel Wright came in the final hour before court adjourned on Duffy’s fifth day of testimony under examination by his defence lawyer, Donald Bayne.

Much of the rest of the day was spent with Duffy explaining why he believes expenses the RCMP asserted were for personal gain were in fact incurred during his work as a senator.

Duffy has pleaded not guilty on 31 charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust.

The RCMP has alleged that Duffy fraudulently awarded a $65,000 contract to his friend Gerald Donohue that was used to facilitate payments for some of the expenses in question, including those made to fitness trainer Mike Croskery.

Duffy said Croskery had trained him in the past, but that he was later hired for consulting work on a fitness show for seniors on fixed incomes that Duffy envisioned airing on public television each day at 9 a.m.

Duffy asserted that he served as the “guinea pig” during development of the program.

However, he said the show idea never got far because Ray Novak, then a top aide to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said the government didn’t want to compete with the private sector fitness programs.

Duffy also defended cheques he wrote to former journalist and Conservative staffer Bill Kittleberg. He said they were for assistance understanding what had been said each week in caucus meetings, because he didn’t want to be “spouting party lines that would not be correct.”

"My whole career has been based on telling people the truth and being straight with people,” Duffy said.

Kittleberg has previously testified that he didn’t ask for the money that Duffy sent him.

Duffy said he sent $500 to journalist Mark Bourrie for advice on how to clean up Wikipedia entries about the senator and to try to get a YouTube posting he asserts is defamatory taken down. Duffy said the Wikipedia information got changed but the YouTube video remains online.

The senator said Bourrie had offered to do the work for free, but he insisted on paying him.

Similarly, Duffy said he sent $500 to a man to write a memorial tribute for someone who had died, even though that man had offered to write it for free.

A number of other expenses were discussed, including letters of condolence that featured a picture of Duffy’s dog on a Prince Edward Island beach. The senator said he had those printed and expensed to the Senate because he thought they were nicer than standard Senate stationary.

Duffy’s testimony is expected to resume Tuesday.

With files from CTV Ottawa News bureau correspondent Katie Simpson

Read a recap of Monday's proceedings with Simpson's courtroom Twitter updates below:

 

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