Nigel Wright, the chief of staff in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office, was lobbied by Barrick Gold Corp. despite having personal ties to the company. Wright is seen here during committee testimony on Parliament Hill in 2010. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

Pointed questions are beginning to swirl around Nigel Wright, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's chief of staff, and whether he used his position to further the financial interests of friends at Barrick Gold Corp.

Ethics commissioner Mary Dawson is following up with Wright after the disclosure that he was lobbied twice by Barrick, the world's largest gold producer, in May.

Wright has known Barrick founder and board chairman Peter Munk for years and is particularly close to his son, Anthony, who sits on Barrick's board of directors.

Indeed, in a 2011 magazine article, Peter Munk disclosed that Wright is godfather to Anthony Munk's son. Wright worked with Anthony at Onex Corp., the private equity investment giant from which Wright has taken a leave of absence to work for Harper.

Wright also served as a director on the board of the Aurea Foundation, a charitable foundation established by Peter Munk and his wife in 2006 to support the study and development of public policy. He resigned from the board shortly before joining Harper's office in November 2010.

In a story in the April 2011 edition of The Walrus, Peter Munk lavished praise on Wright.

"I'd rank Nigel Wright among the mere handful of people I've met in whom I have complete trust," Munk was quoted as saying. "He's just one of those rare human beings with whom you feel totally comfortable in seeking an opinion or discussing complex issues, on any subject."

According to a report summary filed by Barrick with the federal lobbying commissioner, someone from the company the report does not identify who contacted Wright on May 14 to discuss international relations and international trade.

Nine days later, a second report indicates, Barrick talked to Wright again on the same subject matter this time along with Harper's foreign policy adviser, Andrea van Vugt, and his principal secretary, Ray Novak, who is Harper's point man on government-to-government relations.

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PMO chief lobbied by Barrick Gold despite personal ties