Civil trial learns of accusation by former employer
Before being sued for allegedly stealing $15 million while working as a wealthy Montrealer's assistant, Sandra Testa's previous employer had also accused her of being part of a multimillion-dollar scheme.
The new information came to light in documents recently filed at Testa's ongoing civil trial at the Montreal courthouse.
Testa is being sued by Phoebe Greenberg, heir to a substantial family fortune and founder of Montreal's Phi centre.
The lawsuit alleges Testa took several trips, pocketed cash and made other lavish expenses without authorization while working for the centre and as Greenberg's personal assistant.
The documents filed this week reveal that Testa's former employer, Parmalat Canada Inc., had raised similar concerns about her in 2012.
“Parmalat has reasons to believe that you were involved in a stratagem that has caused direct losses to Parmalat, which are presently estimated at an amount of $5,468,445,” the company's lawyers wrote in a letter to Testa in 2012.
The issue stemmed from a civil suit a supplier filed against Parmalat that year.
The suit ended in an out-ofcourt settlement in 2014.
The documents don't give Testa's specific role at Parmalat, but say she was “centrally involved” in dealings between the two companies.
Testa's lawyer responded at the time by calling the claim an “ambiguous and false” allegation.
“It should be noted that our client considers the allegations made to be offensive,” her attorney wrote in response.
Testa has testified in her defence in the Greenberg case, saying some of the more expensive purchases were made as attempts to convince businesses to sponsor the Phi centre's projects.
She also claimed Greenberg was aware of the purchases. Greenberg, for her part, has said she was never told of any of the expenses at the heart of the case.
Closing arguments in the trial are expected to begin Friday.