OTTAWA - A former escort at the heart of an RCMP probe over allegations her politically connected boyfriend illegally lobbied on her behalf has broken her silence.
Michele McPherson is acknowledging her past work in the "sex trade" -- but the 22-year-old says in a prepared statement that she left that line of work some time ago.
An investigation by the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network said Bruce Carson, a former top adviser to the prime minister, allegedly lobbied the government on behalf of an Ottawa-based water company that employed McPherson.
APTN reported McPherson stood to benefit from a plan to sell water-filtration systems to reserves with water-quality problems.
According to the network, McPherson signed a contract last Aug. 31 that would entitle her to 20 per cent of the project's gross sales in a venture Carson was pushing.
But McPherson says that contract was cancelled last month and her new deal is tied to "performance measures."
Her statement did not mention her 65-year-old boyfriend or the allegations against him.
The Prime Minister's Office has called in the RCMP over the allegations in the APTN reports.
The matter was also referred to the office of the conflict of interest and ethics commissioner and the commissioner of lobbying.
