The former mayor of Chambly, Denis Lavoie, was arrested on Tuesday by the Permanent Anti-Corruption Unit (UPAC) for obstructing justice and breach of trust.
“Mr. Lavoie is accused of having voluntarily attempted to obstruct, pervert or thwart the course of justice at the Municipal Court of Chambly, thus committing an obstruction of justice as well as a breach of trust by interfering in the affairs of the Municipal Court of the City of Chambly,” said the Anti-Corruption Commissioner in a press release.
Mr. Lavoie, who was once an investigator with the Sûreté du Québec and a lawyer, was released on a promise to appear on May 10 at the Longueuil courthouse. The charges against him allegedly occurred between January 1, 2016 and May 7, 2019.
Recall that in 2018, the Radio-Canada program Enquête showed examples of interference by Mayor Lavoie in various files. In addition, almost at the same time, the City had the bicentennial Boileau house demolished, which raised an outcry from many citizens.
In 2019, the City of Chambly was placed under guardianship by the Government of Quebec. The Minister of Municipal Affairs, Andrée Laforest, had indicated that this decision followed the verifications carried out by the Commission municipale du Québec (CMQ) concerning the management of the City and the allegations of breaches in terms of ethics and professional conduct.
At that time, the UPAC had carried out searches at the town hall and other municipal buildings.
Denis Lavoie was first elected mayor of Chambly in 2005. Voters granted him a fourth consecutive term in the 2017 election. Mayor Lavoie announced his resignation in April 2019 for health reasons due to his cancer of the throat.
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