The government has told HP to account for the services or pay the money back by March 22. Ottawa has already withheld $50 million in payments to the computer giant.

Owen has said the scheme aimed to defraud both the government and HP. And Defence Minister David Pratt has said there was a “very deliberate and well-crafted strategy to hide irregularities from audit teams at both Defence and Public Works.”

Rob Ireland, HP’s manager of corporate and public relations, said Friday a company investigation “revealed the potential for fraudulent activity by an employee and others unknown to HP.”

“There is the potential for it to be multiple people,” said Ireland. “That would be an employee of DND and others unknown to HP.

“To the best of our knowledge, no HP employee knowingly participated in wrongdoing or derived any benefit.”

In the Commons on Friday, Opposition play bazaar MPs wondered how so much money could go out the door without the relevant ministers’ knowledge.

Tory Cheryl Gallant noted the Financial Administration Act limits the signing authority for public servants to $250,000. Anything over that must go to Public Works.

“How could one person have signing authority for $160 million?” she asked.

Owen said Champagne had no authority to sign any contracts. Owen said the scheme involved a series of small contracts.

“There may be further disciplinary action forthcoming,” he told the Commons.

Champagne lived in a $1.3 million Ottawa mansion with a gym, indoor pool and tennis courts on a 12-acre plot “on Billionaires’ Row.”

“Did anyone think to ask him how he could afford all that on a director’s salary?” asked Conservative Jay Hill.

“Why did no one take the time to investigate whether Paul Champagne had won a lottery or made a killing on the stock market, as he claimed?”

Pratt said improvements have already been made to the contract management process and he urged opponents to wait for the outcome of the investigations.

“We can’t jump to any conclusions. Let’s let the process work.”