Key developments:

鈥� Key witness Gerald Donohue was hospitalized last week and may not testify until next week

鈥� Owner of photo processing business, speechwriter said they invoiced Donohue鈥檚 companies

鈥� Donohue鈥檚 son testifies Maple Ridge Media was a construction company and father didn鈥檛 have cheque-writing authority

KEY WITNESS POSTPONED

Gerald Donohue, the man at the centre of questions surrounding Duffy鈥檚 Senate contracts, may not be able to testify until next week due to health problems, court heard on Tuesday.

The Crown said that Donohue was hospitalized last week, but is still expected to testify remotely from home.

The Crown has alleged that Duffy used his contracts with Donohue to skirt Senate rules and pay others for non-parliamentary work.

JIFFY PHOTO

Last week, court heard that Duffy used Senate funds to enlarge or frame photos of his family members, as well as send photos to former U.S. first lady Barbara Bush.

The details of those expenses were revealed when Mike Vermeer, the owner of Jiffy Photo and Print in Kanata, Ont., took the stand.

Vermeer testified that some of Duffy鈥檚 photo orders were billed to Gerald Donohue鈥檚 company. The prosecutor took him through numerous invoices, including those for photos of Duffy with other people or groups.

Vermeer said Duffy told him that he would get paid faster if the invoices went to Donohue鈥檚 company instead of the Senate. He said the invoices were usually paid within 30 days.

Under questioning from Duffy鈥檚 lawyer, Donald Bayne, Vermeer said that Duffy and his wife paid for photo services privately as well, 鈥渙n at least several occasions.鈥�

THE SPEECHWRITER

Court also heard from Ian MacDonald, a freelance writer and editor who worked for former prime minister Brian Mulroney.

MacDonald said he has known Duffy for at least 40 years and wrote a speech for him when he was appointed to the Senate. He said he was told to send the $7,000 bill for a keynote speech to Donohue鈥檚 Maple Ridge Media. He said he was paid 鈥減romptly鈥� and received no explanation for the arrangement.

DONOHUE鈥橲 SON TESTIFIES

Gerald Donohue鈥檚 son, 30-year-old Matt Donohue, told the court that he owns 40 per cent of the Maple Ridge Media company. Donohue, who studied business administration at Algonquin College, said he wasn鈥檛 sure exactly how the shares were transferred to him.

He said the principal owner of the company has been his mother, Gail. Maple Ridge Media was a construction company and it later changed its name to Ottawa ICF to avoid confusion with another firm, Matt Donohue testified.

He said his father was not an employee of the company and did not have authorization to write cheques -- Gail did. However, the prosecutor showed him some cheques that he said may have been signed by Gerald Donohue.