A former director of the Montreal School of Construction Trades who defrauded the government to have a garage built at home inspired by the superhero Batman was finally sentenced to 18 months in prison.
“His behavior, tinged with corruption, seriously undermined the integrity of a government agency. All things considered, he must be punished by a prison sentence of a significant duration, ”commented judge Alexandre Boucher before sentencing Alain Prud’homme on Tuesday at the Montreal courthouse.
And once his sentence has been served, the 64-year-old defendant will have to perform 120 hours of community service as part of a two-year probation, in order to pay for his crimes committed from 2011 to 2017.
At the time, Prud’homme was director of the École des métiers de la construction de Montréal (EMCM) and he took advantage of his title to award “irregular” contracts worth nearly $900,000 to two contractors who were not approved by the school board.
Luxury as a gift
“In return, he received personal advantages and benefits from them for a total approximate value of $42,500, including a gift certificate […]a contribution to a trip to Italy and, above all, work for the construction of a luxury garage at his private residence, ”recalled the magistrate.
Prud’homme had also taken advantage of his position to build a chic gymnasium with changing rooms inside the school, as well as to buy useless equipment at the EMCM, but which he used for personal purposes. .
Guilty of fraud against the government and breach of trust by a public official, Prud’homme hoped to get away with house arrest because of his age, his state of health, as well as the limited risk of recidivism. .
The Crown, for its part, hoped for up to 30 months in prison.
Not aware
But even if a report indicates that the accused is “capable of openness, self-criticism and introspection”, his awareness remains mixed, estimated the judge, recalling that the accused poses as a victim .
“It is questionable whether he understands the heavy responsibility that comes with public office,” he said.
Thus, after weighing all the elements of the case, the judge concluded that incarceration was necessary, in order to dissuade anyone from imitating Prud’homme.
The two entrepreneurs, Enrico Di Paola of Valdi-Tech and Modesto Abella of Abella Électrique Inc., had both been sentenced to 15 months in house arrest.