Ex-mayor Vaillancourt granted full day parole
Vaillancourt still tries to minimize role in corruption scheme, board finds
Former Laval mayor Gilles Vaillancourt continues to minimize his role in the corruption and collusion scheme that plagued his city for years and resulted in him receiving the six-year sentence he is serving. That is one thing that the Parole Board of Canada noted on Thursday in its decision to grant Vaillancourt, 77, full parole while he continues to serve the sentence he received in December 2016 after he pleaded guilty to fraud and breach of trust. “According to your caseworkers, you continue to minimize and downplay the (crimes) you committed, which makes it difficult to work on your contributing factors. They note that in your case it is difficult to talk to you about your criminal implication and that you constantly change the subject to avoid questions,” parole board member Katia Bustros noted in the written summary of the decision made on Thursday. “You have a tendency to show yourself in a favourable light by highlighting your accomplishments as mayor or by talking about cases that were worse than yours. You have a distorted view of reality and very anchored in your thoughts. To date, your introspection and sense of responsibility remain limited.” When he pleaded guilty nearly two years ago, Vaillancourt admitted he took part in a conspiracy to use his position as mayor, from 1996 to 2010, to fill Swiss bank accounts with millions of dollars through a system of collusion and corruption between 1996 and 2010. He returned roughly $8 million before he pleaded guilty. He resigned in 2012 while it was clear that he and members of his administration were being investigated by UPAC. Twenty-seven people, including the owners of several construction and engineering firms, ended up pleading guilty to charges filed in Project Honorer. Only seven ended up with sentences that involved serving time behind bars. Vaillancourt’s sentence was, by far, the longest. Construction magnate Tony Accurso was sentenced to a four-year prison term this year, but he has been released while his appeal of the prison term is pending. The investigation revealed that a system of collusion had existed in Laval for at least 14 years. Contracts for major work to be done in the city were awarded to colluding companies before calls for tenders were even made public. What made Laval’s case so unusual was that the scheme was run by Vaillancourt and a few members of his administration. Kickbacks ended up in his Swiss bank accounts, but also helped finance Vaillancourt’s political party. The parole board imposed a series of conditions to Vaillancourt’s release. Because his crimes involved large cash bribes, he is required to provide his parole officer with financial records in the future. He is also not allowed to have a position in politics, whether it be paid or volunteer work. He is also not allowed to hold a position of authority over a company, charity, or any other similar institution for the remainder of his sentence. Vaillancourt was granted day parole in November 2017 and he had been residing at a halfway house.