Senator Mike Duffy: Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Prime Minister Stephen Harper: "The facts in this case are clear, they're absolutely clear they're not good, but they are clear and they are simple. Mr. Nigel Wright decided to use his own personal money to assist Mr. Duffy to reimburse the taxpayers of Canada," Harper told reporters Thursday during a press conference with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, according to CBC. The prime minister's comments were made the same day he and Pinera announced an agreement to allow Canadian beef exporters immediate and unrestricted access to Chile's market, a deal worth about $5 million a year and Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he had no prior knowledge of a $90,000 payment by his former chief of staff to cover expenses improperly claimed by Senator Mike Duffy, and if he had known, he "would have said not to do it." "That's what he decided to do and he decided not to tell me until the 15th of May, after speculation about the source of funds appeared in the media. As soon as I learned that on the 15th of May, I made that information public. Had I known before the 15th of May, I would have made the information known earlier, and had I known about it before it happened, I would have said not to do it." Prime Minister Stephen Harper, right, announced the restoration of open access for Canadian beef in Chile at a joint press conference with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera on Parliament Hill Thursday. Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.