CAQ claims party is being muzzled after receiving legal warning
QUEBEC Quebec businessman George Gantcheff has slapped the Coalition Avenir Québec with a legal warning for alleging his company overcharged the government for space used by the Charbonneau Commission.
Speaking through his attorney, Gantcheff urged CAQ Leader François Legault to immediately retract his “highly defamatory” comments linking him to allegations of “scheming ” and “corruption” at the Quebec Liberal Party.
“It’s pure electioneering to have intentionally used words and phrases to try to link our client to illegal, even criminal acts. To be clear, it’s demagoguery,” the legal letter says.
On Thursday, Legault opened his morning news conference by saying: “The tentacles of Liberal corruption are everywhere in Quebec. It’s absolutely amazing; we’re learning that even the commission in charge of investigating schemes was held in a building belonging to those benefiting from schemes.”
Legault argued that the Société immobilière du Québec (SIQ) — a Crown corporation responsible for managing government buildings — paid 40 per cent too much to lease space from Gantcheff to hold the Charbonneau hearings.
The province’s anti-corruption unit (UPAC) and auditor general are investigating allegations put forth by Radio-Canada’s investigative program, Enquête, that the former head of the SIQ, MarcAndré Fortier, three Liberal fundraisers
and Gantcheff defrauded the government through a series of real estate transactions between 2003 and 2008.
Gantcheff did not return calls from the Montreal Gazette on Friday. In a statement, the CAQ likened the letter to an attempt to muzzle the party.
Opposition parties demanded Friday that the National Assembly conduct its own investigation into alleged mismanagement and political nominations at the SIQ.
Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux argued the room used by the Charbonneau Commission was leased at market price and MNAs shouldn’t meddle in police work.