UPAC arrests MNA Ouellette following raids
Anti-corruption unit investigating who leaked internal documents
The province’s anti-corruption unit, Unité permanente anticorruption (UPAC), has arrested Liberal MNA Guy Ouellette following a pair of raids aimed at finding out who leaked internal documents from within the squad to the Québecor news organization.
While UPAC did not name Ouellette, a spokesperson has confirmed raids were carried out on the South Shore Wednesday in connection with an investigation into obstruction of justice and breach of trust.
Other sources confirmed Ouellette’s name. He does not face any charges for the moment, but was questioned about the leaks. The exact link between him and the leaks remains unclear.
Ouellette, 65, a former Sûreté du Québec officer, is the Liberal MNA for the Chomedey riding, and chairs the National Assembly’s Committee on Institutions, which oversees justice and public security issues.
He was in the legislature Wednesday for morning question period and then chaired his committee until about 1 p.m. He did not return to the committee after lunch and could not be reached for comment Wednesday evening.
Late Wednesday, two unmarked police cars were parked in front of the Quebec City condo where he lives while in town.
It is believed Ouellette left town after meeting with police.
The raids are related to an investigation into the leak of sensitive UPAC documents to Québecor concerning an ongoing inquiry into former Quebec premier Jean Charest and Liberal fundraiser Marc Bibeau.
Among the documents leaked was a chart produced for the investigation, known as the Machûrer in police circles, depicting the investigation’s workflow, internal emails and a statement given to UPAC investigators.
Both Charest and Bibeau have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
At the time, Québecor media had revealed emails dating back to 2011 of discussions between Couillard’s former chief of staff, Jean-Louis Dufresne and Bibeau. In the conversations they discuss a 2010 contract to handle communications, prepare documents and run media events to promote repairs to the Mercier Bridge.
In Quebec City, there was no immediate comment from Premier Philippe Couillard’s office except to say the premier learned of the arrest in the media. Couillard later cancelled a trip to the North scheduled for Thursday and will be in the legislature Thursday for a meeting of his caucus.
The news that one of their own colleagues could have been leaking embarrassing information on his own government, sent a shock wave through the Liberal ranks.
“Do you think we are not surprised the day we learn a colleague finds himself in a situation like this?” asked Education Minister Sébastien Proulx. “That will be my only comment for the moment.”
“Like you, I just got the information,” said Robert Poëti, the junior minister for the integrity of public markets and a former police officer himself. “I just want to understand what’s happening.”
“I have no comment,” said Bourassa-Sauvé MNA Rita De Santis. “I am unaware of this.”
But the seriousness of the situation was highlighted by the two main opposition leaders.
“It’s huge, it’s big. It’s worrisome for the integrity of the Liberal government,” said Coalition Avenir Québec leader François Legault.
“A member of the parliament being arrested is serious,” added Parti Québécois leader Jean-François Lisée.
The news is that much more surprising given that Ouellette was chair of the institution’s committee May 4, the day UPAC president Robert Lafrenière appeared, vowing to put an end to the leaks to the media.
At the time, he said if people thought the leak would somehow destabilize UPAC and its work to fight corruption, they were dead wrong.
“It (the leak) was an act of total disloyalty,” he said. “There are things I can’t talk about in this investigation, but I ardently hope we reach a conclusion and we find the bandit who did this.”
In April, Ouellette himself condemned the leaks and rumours of conflict of interest rocking his party.
At the time, Ouellette said he was “disgusted by the situation, disgusted by all these leaks, disgusted by all these conflicts of interest.”
Later, however, in an interview on the FM 98.5 radio station, Ouellette said the Liberal party establishment was pressing him to retire to free up his seat. Party officials later denied that.
Ouellette, who has represented Chomedey since 2007 but never named a cabinet minister, worked for the police force for about three decades, including as a sergeant in charge of teams of narcotics investigators.
He co-wrote a book in 2005 called Mom, which looked at the life of the former leader of the Hell’s Angels in Quebec, Maurice (Mom) Boucher, who is serving a life sentence for murder.
It’s huge, it’s big. It’s worrisome for the integrity of the Liberal government.