She was probably doing research

The central allegation Snowdy presented is that Gillani, an accused fraudster, claimed to Snowdy that three offshore companies in Belize B a tax haven B had been "reserved" to hold cash for Guergis and Jaffer. Snowdy said he also told the Tory lawyer that Gillani boasted that he had cellphone pictures of Jaffer and Guergis partying with high-class escorts when cocaine was being snorted.

You know, as Minister for Status of Women...examining how prostitution in Canada affects women...

This is a little harder to explain, though:

At a meeting in the Spice Trader restaurant on Queen St. W. in July 2009, Snowdy said Gillani showed him a series of companies, and claimed that Jaffer and "his wife" had three companies reserved for them, all in Belize. Further, Gillani claimed Guergis had "a contact in Belize that set everything up."

Snowdy checked and with a simple review of government press releases saw that Guergis had visited Belize in July 2008. Guergis was Secretary of Trade for Foreign Affairs and International Trade at the time.

If she indeed was meeting a contact to set up an offshore account for shady deals, and doing so while acting in her capacity as Secretary of Trade, then she used her position for personal gain and to engage in something that does not appear entirely legal.

So far, these are allegations which Guergis denies, but her credibility has taken a big hit. 

Howard Rubel, hired to represent Guergis, said early Wednesday afternoon that even after speaking with RCMP investigators two days ago, he and his client are in the dark about what he said were unspecified allegations about her conduct.

"The prime minister's office is not providing any information," Rubel said. "She is ready to respond and co-operate but it's important that she not respond until she knows what the allegations are."
 
But Soudas suggested Rubel had been misinformed. "The Conservative party lawyer last Friday -- the day that Ms. Guergis resigned -- spoke with Ms. Guergis and informed her of the allegations the Prime Minister's Office referred to (the) ethics commissioner and the RCMP," Soudas said.

And in case anyone is saying the lawyer put words in Guergis’ mouth:

Earlier on Wednesday, Guergis spoke out against a CTV report which said the third-party allegations against her are related to blackmail and drug use.

The former junior Conservative cabinet minister said she was shocked by the story. "This is completely ridiculous and an example of rumours gone amok," Guergis wrote in an email to The Canadian Press Wednesday.

It is important to note as well that Jaffer was still an MP and Chair of the Conservative caucus at the time Guergis may have visited her contact in Belize.  In fact, he accompanied her on that trip.

That means that two MPs Harper handpicked for high profile positions may have been busy abusing their posts and breaking laws while being paid more than the average MP, all on taxpayers dollars.

This goes beyond the affront of abusing public funds and an inflated sense of privilege.  As private investigator Snowdy (and self-proclaimed “committed member” of the Conservative party) claims, such actions by Jaffer and Guergis makes them great targets for blackmail.  As members of Parliament who Stevo entrusted with special portfolios, the squeeze would not only affect the couple personally, but would put Canadians at risk should a blackmailer decide to push them to further abuse their positions.

Again, the story here is not the sex and drugs, as entertaining as they are, but that Harper had not only failed to identify Jaffer and Guergis as highly unfit for office, he even gave them elevated positions in his caucus and kept defending Guergis up until Thursday night when the threat of compromising photos reached him.

And we know how Steve feels about the power of the perfect photo.

Exceedingly bad judgement on his part, and near inability to admit to a mistake all enforcing his massive efforts at covering up the slightest whisper of wrongdoing rather than being open and addressing it in the interests of Canada and Canadians.