Ex-Terrebonne mayor, former top city officials arrested by UPAC
Operation Médiator examined contract fixing dating as far back as 2001
Terrebonne's long-serving former mayor Jean-Marc Robitaille is among five people arrested this morning as part of an investigation into public contract fraud in the municipality just north of Montreal.
The accused were charged with corruption and breach of trust in connection with an alleged system of contract fixing that favoured certain engineering firms and entrepreneurs between 2001 and 2012.
Also arrested were:
- Luc Papillon, former city manager.
- Daniel Bélec, former chief of staff.
- Normand Trudel, entrepreneur.
- Jean Leroux, engineer.
Four of the accused were arrested Thursday morning and transferred to Sûreté du Québec headquarters. They are expected to be released later today and scheduled to appear in court on the charges in May.
An arrest warrant was issued for Robitaille, but he was located Thursday morning at his chalet in Saint-Jean-de-Matha, about 80 kilometres north of Terrebonne.
The municipality's current mayor, Marc-André Plante, said his administration is working with UPAC investigators and is satisfied with the outcome of the investigation so far.
"The people want answers and to see those who were the focus of this investigation held to account if they are found guilty," he said.
Plante, a former director of a not-for-profit organization, was elected last November. He said his administration has taken significant steps to ensure a culture of integrity and transparency exists at city hall.
"The city is now in good hands," he said.
Investigators raided Terrebonne City Hall and the former mayor's personal residence in 2016. Robitaille resigned for health reasons shortly after.
In September 2017, UPAC froze more than $93,000 of Robitaille's assets linked to work done at his second home.
A former federal politician, Robitaille was first elected mayor of Terrebonne in 1997 and served for nearly 20 years.
UPAC says its investigation, dubbed Médiator, has shown that some city employees received significant personal benefits in exchange for making zoning changes or other divulging privileged information in the context of the city's tendering process.