Justin Broekema, who worked for Bev Oda from 2009 until her recent resignation, admitted he was wrong Monday when he denied the former Tory minister smoked cigarettes in her office and bought air purifiers with taxpayers' money to cover it up.
"It has come to my attention that yes, after your story, Bev Oda has been smoking in her office,” he said Tuesday.
He also confirmed that two air purifiers were purchased at a cost of $50 each, paid by taxpayers.
"-I understand that these have been expensed,” he said.
Although she smoked regularly in her office, it seems Oda has not suffered the consequences of breaking the law.
"To my knowledge, she has never paid any fees," said Broekema.
He said nobody ever filed a formal complaint against her.
Oda has been silent since she announced last Tuesday she was stepping down as minister for the Canadian International Development Agency.
She will hold her post as MP for the Durham riding until July 31.
Oda came under repeated fire for her free-spending ways with taxpayer dollars during her time as a Tory minister.
In April, she was forced to apologize and refund the treasury after news broke she upgraded to a room at London's luxurious Savoy Hotel for three nights last year when her original five-star hotel wasn't up to snuff.
During the same trip, she billed taxpayers nearly $1,000 a day for a luxury car and driver and bought a $16 glass of orange juice.
In June, it came to light her staff had combed through five years worth of past travel and hospitality expenses to weed out all inappropriate spending. Oda then cut a cheque to taxpayers for an undisclosed amount.
