City councillor wonders if former Montreal mayor was set up
Susan Clarke suggests that the former mayor may have prevented dishonest behaviour
City councillor Susan Clarke says she’s asking herself if Michael Applebaum was set up, as the former mayor faces a total of14 charges including fraud and conspiracy.
Clarke told CBC’s Daybreak that she has known Applebaum since he was 19.
"I know his parents. I’ve seen the way he was brought up. I’ve seen the way he treats his family," she said. "And in my opinion there’s no way he’s done anything wrong."
'I’m really asking myself, if he wasn’t set up.' —Susan Clarke, Montreal ciy councillor
First elected in 2009, Clarke represents the Loyala district of Cote-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grace, the same borough that was under Applebaum's leadership until he was elected as mayor of Montreal.
Clarke says she has never seen a sign that "something iffy was taking place" in the borough.
Clarke called Applebaum a very tenacious guy who makes the tough decisions.
"I know a lot of people have resented him because he makes choices that are not easy ones to make," she said. "Sometimes that rubs people the wrong way and I think he’s also probably prevented some dishonest behaviour."
"I’m really asking myself, if he wasn’t set up," she told CBC’s Daybreak.
She also had questions about the tactics of Quebec’s anti-corruption unit (UPAC). She referred to the senior manager in the CDN-NDG borough who committed suicide in March after he was questioned.
"Police states are the ones that knock on the door before it’s light and pick people up for questioning. I’ve never seen that being done in civil cases," Clarke said.
But she did say she's glad to see that investigations against corruption are underway.
As well, Vision Montreal councillor Véronique Fournier defended UPAC on the program saying the police unit was doing its job.