The former boss of the Sutton Quebec real estate brokerage franchise regains his freedom while awaiting trial for a series of fires and arson plots at competitors, until January 2024.
Handcuffed and in the dock until now at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse, José Christophe Folla will finally be able to return home while awaiting his trial. However, he will have to respect a series of conditions, including not coming into contact with his alleged accomplices and not leaving Quebec.
Folla will also have to make a deposit of $200,000. His partner of heart and business for 30 years, Julie Gaucher, who became president of Sutton Quebec, will also have to stand surety for an additional $100,000, just like Céline Levac, Folla’s common-law partner. The judge therefore requires a total of $400,000 in deposit and sureties.
Folla will also have to hand over his two passports, Canadian and Spanish.
A publication ban prevents the media from reporting details of the police investigation exposed to the judge at this stage, as well as the judge’s reasons, as is usually the case in bail hearings. Folla, his co-defendants and the prosecution will be in court on March 8.
He risks 14 years
The 70-year-old businessman faces 14 years in prison. He is accused of having ordered a series of arsons between 2017 and 2022 at competitors, in Sainte-Thérèse and Saint-Sauveur, then of having continued to plot to commit others until the last days of at the end of January.
Upon his arrest on January 24, his partner Julie Gaucher replaced him at the head of Sutton Quebec, which boasts 1,500 affiliated real estate brokers and 22,000 transactions per year. According to the company register, its holding company is, however, still a shareholder.
Through her spokesperson, Julie Gaucher said she was “relieved” after her release. “We will let the judicial system do its work and Mr. Folla will stand trial,” said Patricia Lemoine Smith. She will focus on the continued growth of Sutton Quebec. »
The prosecutor in the case, Caroline Buist, says she “welcomes the decision” and must “evaluate” the possibility of appealing Folla’s release.
Co-accused also released
His co-defendants, Benjamin Amar and Alain Marc Nahmias, were also released on Monday.
With Folla, they allegedly ordered the fires of buildings belonging to Sutton Quebec’s competitors, the Léger family and Chrisitan Bouvrette, owners of Royal LePage Humania.
They were associated with Sutton Quebec until 2017, when they decided to change franchises. A few months later, the arson attacks began.
One of the burned buildings, rue Principale in Saint-Sauveur, housed another franchise, Remax Bonjour. The building was a stone’s throw from Royal LePage Humania and according to our information, the victims and the police believe that the arsonists had the wrong address when setting it on fire in February 2021.