The Mike Duffy trial got underway last week in Ottawa, where the court heard from the suspended senator's lawyer, saw the first piece of evidence against the prime minister, and even had a special visit from another suspended senator.
Here's a day-by-day wrap up of the first week of the trial.
Tuesday
The much-anticipated trial started very early on Tuesday morning, with some reporters lining up outside the courthouse as early as 4:30 a.m. to get a seat inside courtroom 33. Duffy and his lawyer Donald Bayne were met with a mob of cameras as they walked into the courthouse.
Opening statements were made, with the Crown alleging that Duffy billed taxpayers for inappropriately claimed living expenses and personal travel, such as a trip to Peterborough, Ont. to buy a puppy. In his opening statement, Bayne argued that his client was "singled out" and that he can’t be blamed for unclear Senate rules.
Wednesday
On Wednesday, retired Senate law clerk Mark Audcent took the stand as the Crown's first witness. Audcent's questioning focused on the issue of a senator's primary residence. He explained that senators are required to own property in the area that they represent, but that he never policed them to ensure they were meeting residency requirements.
Thursday
Suspended senator Patrick Brazeau paid Duffy a visit in court on Thursday, saying that he was there to "support my independent senator." Inside the courtroom, Audcent's testimony continued for a third day.
Bayne entered two key pieces of evidence Thursday, including a photo of Duffy and Prime Minister Stephen Harper from June, 2009, with a handwritten message reading: "To Duff: A great journalist and a great senator. Thanks for being one of my best, hardest-working appointments ever!" Bayne also entered Duffy’s diaries into evidence. The hundreds of pages detailed everything from Duffy's political work to his gastrointestinal problems.
Friday
Bayne continued his questioning of Audcent Friday, with the Crown eventually complaining that the defence lawyer was repeating himself. The former Senate law clerk told the court that senators have a lot of discretion when it comes to their budgets and hiring.
And a mention of Canadian pop star Justin Bieber even made it into the Crown prosecutor's arguments. Prosecutor Mark Holmes argued that, just because Duffy was appointed a senator from P.E.I, that doesn’t make him a resident of the province. To prove his point, he pointed to the requirement that all senators must be 30 years old.
"Justin Bieber is 21 years old,” Holmes said. “If the Governor General, acting on the advice of the prime minister, appointed Justin Bieber to the Senate tomorrow, would he become 30?"
“Of course not,” Audcent replied.
With files from CTVNews.ca's Sonja Puzic
