Laval “turns the page” on “the Vaillancourt years” and puts an end to investigations aimed at recovering money from corruption. The City confirmed Tuesday that it had successfully recovered more than $60 million from fraudulent companies and individuals who participated in the contract-sharing scheme.
“We are reaching the end of the process, there will be no new investigations,” announced Mayor Stéphane Boyer. The bulk of the work linked to the Vaillancourt era and the Charbonneau era has been processed. »
An investigation team had been mobilized since 2016 following the revelations of the Commission of Inquiry into the awarding and management of public contracts in the construction industry (CEIC), also called the Charbonneau Commission. “There are 7-8 people doing research and surveys full time. As we speak, we are going to demobilize them, but if at any time there is new information or new data and there is reason to prosecute someone, we will do it.” , assured Mayor Boyer.
As a result of agreements, lawsuits and the Quebec government’s Voluntary Reimbursement Program, Laval has recovered to date more than $60 million from fraudulent companies and individuals who participated in or benefited from the contract sharing scheme under the reign of former mayor Gilles Vaillancourt.
“For us it was important that justice was done. […] The people who participated in the scheme did not escape unscathed,” argued Stéphane Boyer.
The amount recovered could be revised upwards in the coming months, as there are still five civil suits before the courts.
New era
Described as an example of “one of the worst cases of corruption in the country”, Laval boasts of having succeeded in cleaning up municipal administration in ten years. “Laval is much more than Gilles Vaillancourt,” insisted Mayor Boyer.
Elected since 2013, first as a municipal councilor, then as mayor in 2021, Mr. Boyer claims to have seen no trace of remnants of the stratagem from the Vaillancourt era.
“I have never been approached or solicited. […] At the same time, you would have to be a little stupid to try it,” he stressed.