Cogger was campaign manager during Mulroney's bid to win the
1976 Progressive Conservative leadership convention as well as the successful campaign which forced
Joe Clark to call a
1983 leadership convention. In 1986, Muroney named Cogger to the Senate. In 1991, the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police laid
influence peddling charges alleging that Cogger had taken payments from businessman Guy Montpetit in exchange for the use of Cogger's influence to win government grants and contacts. Cogger was acquitted in 1993 but in 1997 the
Supreme Court of Canada ordered a new trial which led to Cogger's conviction in 1998. He was fined $3,000, put on 12 months' probation and ordered to do 120 hours of community service. Cogger successfully appealed the sentence which was substituted by an
absolute discharge in 2001. In September 2000, Cogger resigned from the Senate. He had been largely absent from the upper house during his legal battles and was fined a total of $23,250 for missing sessions. ==Death==