UPAC investigation into Quebec Liberals ends quietly, but 'weighed heavily' on Jean Charest

A lengthy investigation into the Quebec Liberal Party's financing has come to a close, and even though no one was charged, former premier Jean Charest says the probe came at a cost.

"This investigation weighed heavily on my personal life, on the life of my family, my colleagues in my political life and my current colleagues," said Charest in a statement Monday afternoon.

"The continuation of this investigation had become senseless, and was for me and my family, an injustice imposed on us for nearly eight years of our lives."

Quebec's anti-corruption unit (UPAC) commissioner, Frédérick Gaudreau, announced the end of the probe in a brief statement Monday. Known as the Mâchurer investigation, it was launched in April 2014, two years after Charest was voted out of office.

"Considering the legal opinion obtained, as well as all the rigour and resources already invested in this investigation, the commissioner finds there is no reason to prosecute the latter and therefore puts an end to it," UPAC said in the statement.

"In order not to harm ongoing legal proceedings, and given the obligations of confidentiality applicable to the content of police investigation files, the commissioner must refrain from any other comment."

Liberals demand apology

Quebec Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade is demanding an apology to her party's members and staff, whose reputations, she says, have been tarnished by suspicions of fraud and corruption because of the investigation.

"After all these years, it was high time for UPAC to put an end to this investigation," she said in a statement that describes the investigation as a "public fishing trip."

And other opposition politicians say it's also time to take a hard look at UPAC and its resources, as this is yet another case that has led to no arrests since the unit was formed in 2011 with the goal of cracking down on corruption in the province. 

MNA Martin Ouellet, public security critic for the Parti Québécois, said some 300 witnesses were interviewed and the inquiry went on for years, only to bear no fruit. 

He said it's time UPAC explained what happened. If more resources are needed to assist in these investigations, then the government must respond accordingly, he said.

MNA Alexandre Leduc, Québec Solidaire's justice critic, said UPAC has "no big trophies" since its creation more than a decade ago.

This decision does not mean there was no wrongdoing, but instead raises questions about the laws and judicial systems in place, Leduc said. The rules may be limiting the powers and effectiveness of law enforcement in cases like this, he said, and if so, that must be addressed.

"What's left now with this? I don't want this to just close this chapter and nothing has happened," Leduc said.

UPAC is well organized and prepared: Guilbault

On the other hand, Quebec's Minister of Public Security, Geneviève Guilbault, said the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government has taken all the necessary steps to ensure UPAC is well organized and prepared to fulfill its mission.

"It is now up to the organization's management to take advantage of these changes," she said.

The minister clarified that her government will not comment further on this file because of the lawsuits against the government.

Charest  is suing the Quebec government for violation of his privacy, alleging police leaked information related to the investigation to the media.

Lawyers for Charest recently asked a judge to speed up the delivery of documents the former Liberal leader requested for use in his lawsuit, which he launched in October 2020.

The former premier doubled his original claim against the government for $1 million to $2 million last November, after Guilbault, who is also deputy premier, waved around in Question Period a copy of the book PLQ inc., with a photo of Charest on its cover.

The UPAC investigation focused on the methods of financing the Liberal Party of Quebec between 2001 and 2012, looking into possible links between fundraising activities and the granting of public contracts.

In 2019, UPAC presented its body of evidence to the Quebec Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP), which turned over its analysis in December 2020 to a review committee chaired by a retired Quebec Court of Appeal justice, André Rochon.

The DPCP declined to comment on the matter Monday, citing solicitor-client privilege.

Meanwhile, Charest is mulling a bid to lead the federal Conservative Party.

Conservative MP Gérard Deltell, who supports Charest in the leadership race, said there have been eight years of inquiry and nothing has been found. That means Charest now has the green light he needs to move on, he said.

"Mr. Charest can focus 100 per cent on the future of this party and the future of this country," said Deltell.