Applebaum's passport returned by court
Former mayor charged with 14 offences
Montreal's former mayor had his passport returned by the court so he can go on vacation.
Michael Applebaum surrendered the document after he was arrested in June on charges of fraud and breach of public trust.
Last week, his lawyer made a request to the Crown's office that it be returned. That request was granted, and Applebaum is expected to leave town next week for 10 days on a trip that had been scheduled before the former mayor's arrest last month.
"We don't fear that he will not come back," Crown prosecutor Marie-Hélène Giroux said today.
Applebaum's case was briefly back in court today as lawyers argued over sealed search warrants.
Conrad Lord, Applebaum's attorney, wants those documents to remain sealed.
Lawyers representing the media have argued they should be accessible.
A decision on that issue isn't expected today.
The former mayor did not appear in the courtroom today.
Applebaum is charged with 14 offences including fraud, corruption and breach of trust.
The province's anti-corruption unit, UPAC, has said the charges relate to the obtaining of permission and political support for two real estate projects in Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough between 2006 and 2011, during which time Applebaum was the borough's mayor.
Applebaum was elected interim mayor after Gerald Tremblay resigned amid mounting allegations about collusion and illegal fundraising in his Union Montreal party.
He stepped down seven months later, a day after the charges were laid. Applebaum has maintained his innocence.