Canadian Official Under Fire For Partying, Instead Of Attending To Brenda Martin Case

March 24, 2008 10:54 a.m. EST

Ottawa, Canada (AHN) - A Canadian legislator and federal official is under fire for allegedly partying in Mexico instead of visiting detained Canadian national Brenda Martin. At the center of the controversy is Member of Parliament and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Helena Guergis.

Guergis was portrayed in newspaper accounts as rubbing elbows with Canadian expatriates while they ate appetizers, while she was on an official trip to Guadalajara on Jan. 29 and 30. Martin was then confined at the Puente Grande women's prison, 12.4 miles (20 kilometers) away from the party scene.

Martin was informed by Guergis's aide Axelle Pellerin through her friend Debra Tieleman that the official was due to arrive in Guadalajara at 2 p.m. and could only stay for 4 hours, but would try to squeeze in at least a phone call. The call didn't come.

Martin, when informed by Canadian Press of Guergis's whereabouts, expressed anger at the Canadian official's seeming preference for partying over attending to her case.

Guergis declined requests for media interview to air her side, except to release an official statement that said, "Government officials at all levels, including Secretary of State Guergis, have been working diligently on Ms. Martin's behalf since 2006."