GOMERY LIFTS PUBLICATION BAN: "It is in the public interest that this evidence with few exceptions be made available to the public..."

From the Globe:

Mr. Justice John Gomery has partially removed a ban on the volatile testimony from ad executive Jean Brault at the sponsorship inquiry.

However, the judge overseeing the sponsorship probe ruled Thursday that certain aspects of testimony provided by ad executive Jean Brault to the sponsorship inquiry can not be reported by the media.

"It is in the public interest that this evidence with few exceptions be made available to the public remembering that publication bans are a violation of constitutional rights and are to be imposed rarely, particularly in the context of a public inquiry," Judge Gomery said.

Both the Liberals and the opposition parties have been waiting in tense anticipation for the judge's decision.

The opposition believes that some information contained in Mr. Brault's testimony could be extremely harmful to the Liberals if it is made public.

It could also prompt them to call for a vote of non-confidence in the government and bring it down, triggering an election.

Mr. Brault is the former owner of Groupaction. Groupaction is one of the advertising firms at the heart of the sponsorship probe. The Gomery probe is looking into how $100-million of the Liberal government's $250-million sponsorship program went to Liberal-friendly agencies that did little or no work for the money.