Posted at 8:17 p.m.
March 17, 2016
The very day that Philippe Couillard’s government presented its budget, the Permanent Anti-Corruption Unit (UPAC) arrested seven people, including former Liberal ministers Nathalie Normandeau and Marc-Yvan Côté. They are accused of conspiracy, corruption, fraud and breach of trust. Their arrest follows the Joug et Lierre projects on the engineering firm Roche and allegations of political donations and gifts in exchange for public contracts.
March 31, 2016
The show Investigation of Radio-Canada publishes emails exchanged between the former president of the Treasury Board Sam Hamad and Marc-Yvan Côté from 2008 to 2012, under the reign of Jean Charest. The messages show that Mr. Hamad is a strategic source of information for Mr. Côté, who has become vice-president of the peat producer Premier Tech. This liberal fundraising heavyweight was busy finding funds for Sam Hamad.
April 5, 2016
Journalist Louis Lacroix publishes in News an article mentioning a certain “Pierre” who contacts journalists claiming to have evidence gathered against Mme Normandeau.
April 24, 2017
The Journal of Montreal and TVA publish an article based on a leak from Projet Mâchurer on the financing of the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ). They reveal how former Prime Minister Jean Charest and former Party fundraiser Marc Bibeau were subject to police surveillance until 2016.
April 28, 2017
UPAC orders an administrative investigation to shed light on the leaks in the Mâchurer project. “I hope that we find the bandit who did this,” said its commissioner Robert Lafrenière later in the parliamentary committee.
June 2017
End of the administrative investigation. In an information meeting, its manager Mario Fournier identifies a series of suspects: MP Guy Ouellette, former anti-collusion analyst Annie Trudel, ex-entrepreneur and witness to the Charbonneau Commission Lino Zambito, investigator from the UPAC fired Richard Despaties and retired SQ investigator Yves Messier.
June 2017
Robert Lafrenière and the director of operations at UPAC, André Boulanger, launch a new criminal investigation: the famous Project A. Lieutenant Caroline Grenier-Lafontaine will be responsible for it. She will report to Mr. Boulanger, who is also her spouse. Their main suspects are Guy Ouellette, as well as Richard Despaties and another UPAC policeman, Stéphane Bonhomme, suspected of having given documents to the MP.
October 25, 2017
UPAC arrests MP Guy Ouellette, as well as former Unit police officers Richard Despaties and Stéphane Bonhomme.
January to May 2018
Marc-Yvan Côté and Nathalie Normandeau want to have their trial canceled because of leaks in the media, and Mr. Côté tries to force journalists Marie-Maude Denis and Louis Lacroix to reveal their sources on the Joug and Lierre projects. After a first decision in favor of the journalists, the debate moved to the Superior Court, which decided that Marie-Maude Denis must identify her source. The case went to the Supreme Court, which overturned the Superior Court’s decision.
March 2018
The Court of Quebec dismisses a first motion for a stay of proceedings by Nathalie Normandeau, Marc-Yvan Côté and the four other remaining accused for unreasonable delays under the Jordan decision.
August 2018
UPAC transfers responsibility for the investigation to an independent investigator. Unit agents claim that the Director of Operations André Boulanger, Lieutenant Caroline Grenier-Lafontaine and Commissioner Lafrenière are the authors of “controlled leaks”. They also allege that Mr. Boulanger directs the work by telling the police what leaks they should investigate.
September 2018
The independent investigator confidentially informs the Ministère de la Sécurité publique of allegations of breach of trust and obstruction of justice against Mr. Boulanger and breach of trust against Mr. Lafrenière.
1er October 2018
Robert Lafrenière announces that he will resign on November 2 as head of UPAC.
October 25, 2018
The Ministry of Public Security entrusts the Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI) with the mandate to investigate the leaks at UPAC and the way the Unit carried out Project A: this is the beginning of Project Oath.
December 2018
In the Supreme Court, the public prosecutor asserts that the involvement of the UPAC suspects – Guy Ouellette, Richard Despaties and Stéphane Bonhomme – is unlikely. Investigators from Project Oath at the BEI rather suspect Robert Lafrenière, André Boulanger, strategic adviser Martin Barabé, director of communications Anne-Frédérick Laurence, Caroline Grenier-Lafontaine and Mathieu Venne, investigator in the Joug and Lierre projects.
January 2019
BEI informs the Ministry of Public Security of allegations of obstruction of justice, breach of trust, threats and reprisals, intimidation, extortion, identity fraud and unlawful interception of communications against André Boulanger. His spouse Caroline Grenier-Lafontaine is also suspected of obstruction of justice, breach of trust, identity fraud and illegal interception of communications. Another UPAC lieutenant, Vincent Rodrigue, is suspected of obstruction of justice and breach of trust.
August 2019
The public ministry announces that it is dropping several counts against Nathalie Normandeau, Marc-Yvan Côté and the other defendants of the Joug and Lierre projects.
October 2019
In a sworn statement, the lead investigator of the BEI in Project Oath indicates that the main suspects are Robert Lafrenière, André Boulanger, Caroline Grenier-Lafontaine, Vincent Rodrigue, all former UPAC, as well as Martin Prud’homme , boss of the suspended SQ and son-in-law of Mr. Lafrenière.
September 2020
Judge André Perreault, of the Court of Quebec, orders the judgment of the legal process against Nathalie Normandeau, Marc-Yvan Côté and the other defendants of the Joug and Lierre projects for violation of their right to a trial within a reasonable time.