Trépanier’s Contrecoeur fraud case trial set for April
The trial of Bernard Trépanier, one of the accused in the Contrecoeur fraud case, is set to open on April 3 after nearly two years of delays and six years after he was arrested.
Trépanier, 78, the former chief fundraiser for the Union Montreal party that controlled city hall for a decade, was in court on Thursday to have dates set for his trial in connection with the 2007 sale of city-owned land known as Faubourg Contrecoeur to Construction Frank Catania et Associés Inc. at a heavily discounted price.
Trépanier faces charges of fraud, conspiracy, fraud on government and breach of trust.
His trial is expected to last one month, the prosecution told Court of Quebec Judge Yvan Poulin on Thursday. Poulin is also presiding over the trial of the other men arrested with Trépanier in May 2012, including former city executive committee chairman Frank Zampino, who was the righthand man of former mayor Gérald Tremblay, construction magnate Paolo Catania and four others.
Prosecutors said they were available for the trial any time.
However, Trépanier’s lawyers were not available before April 3.
The prosecution expects to call 11 witnesses, including Tremblay, who testified at the trial of the other accused in May.
Daniel Rock, one of Trépanier’s lawyers, told Poulin he will consider challenging the admissibility of wiretap evidence against his client that was disclosed by the Crown on Thursday.
The Contrecoeur trial began in February 2016. Trépanier, who has cancer, was ordered a separate trial two months later after his treatments caused him to be absent from the courtroom on several occasions.
A subsequent hearing to set the dates for his trial was repeatedly postponed because his lawyer said he was too ill to be present.
Trépanier was arrested again on Sept. 19 with Zampino, former civil servant Robert Marcil and five former heads or employees of engineering consulting firms that had contracts with the city.
They face charges of municipal corruption, fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud. The Contrecoeur trial, meanwhile, is to resume for Zampino, Catania and the other accused next week.