Lino Zambito cuts ties with UPAC, calls for independent investigation
Unsealed court documents named former construction boss as part of investigation into leaks to the media
Lino Zambito says he will no longer collaborate with Quebec's anti-corruption unit (UPAC) after he was named in an affidavit that details the unit's efforts to uncover who was leaking classified information to the media.
The former construction boss and Liberal Party organizer who pleaded guilty to fraud and corruption charges in 2015 claims he had no part in feeding documents about ongoing investigations to journalists and called the allegation "deplorable."
"I can't believe UPAC is attacking my credibility," he said.
During a news conference on Sunday, Zambito said he had been recently working with UPAC investigators as an important witness in other investigations, but that he will no longer do so.
"I want nothing to do with them until there's a cleanup higher up," he said.
He said he is not the suspect UPAC is looking for and suggested that the leaks came from within the unit itself.
The affidavit by a UPAC inspector, which was unsealed Thursday, accompanies an application for a search warrant. Its claims have not been tested in open court.
The investigation identified four suspects alleged to be the source of the leaks: Zambito, Liberal MNA Guy Ouellette, and former UPAC employees Stéphane Bonhomme and Richard Despaties.
Ouellette was arrested last October in a sting by UPAC, but charges were never laid against him.
The affidavit also alleges Despaties, a retired Sûreté du Québec officer who worked as an analyst for UPAC until he was dismissed in October 2016, was feeding information to Zambito.
On Sunday, Zambito denied knowing both Bonhomme and Despaties, saying he wouldn't be able to identify them if they were in the room.
Calls for an independent investigation
In light of the allegations, Zambito also called for the Quebec government to launch an independent investigation into UPAC.
"I am asking Minister [Martin] Coiteux to react," he said.
Zambito said that Bill 107, which seeks to increase the jurisdiction and reinforce the independence of UPAC, also needs to be changed.
Earlier this week, opposition parties Parti Québécois and Québec Solidaire also called into question the idea of giving UPAC more power.
He said that while investigators on the ground are doing "colossal and formidable work," a new leader at the head of UPAC would restore the public's confidence in the unit.
"There is a cleanup that has to be done within the administration of UPAC," he said.
With files from Jonathan Montpetit and Radio-Canada