Ex-Quebec mayor who hid stolen millions sent to prison
MONTREAL — The instincts that kept Gilles Vaillancourt in power for 23 years never left him, even as he was about to head off to jail.
The former mayor of Laval, Quebec’s third-largest municipality, seemed incapable of helping himself as he made a series of awkward handshakes, including with a few surprised reporters, as he headed into the courtroom on Thursday for a hearing that he knew would result in him being incarcerated.
He made small talk with one reporter, telling her he no longer needed glasses because he had recently undergone laser eye surgery. One of his two lawyers carried in a hockey bag that appeared to be full of his personal belongings.
Then Vaillancourt, 75, admitted he took part in a conspiracy to use his position to fill Swiss bank accounts with millions of dollars through a system of collusion and corruption between 1996 and 2010.
The mayor who ran Laval from 1989 until he resigned in 2012, earning the nickname ‘The Monarch,’ pleaded guilty to being part of a conspiracy to commit fraud and breach of trust. All told, he faced a dozen charges, including the more serious charge of gangsterism.
As part of a joint recommendation, Vaillancourt might be required to serve a six-year prison term. As part of the plea agreement, Vaillancourt had already begun the process of reimbursing the City of Laval with $8.6 million, and will turn over the keys to a luxury condo estimated to be worth more than $1 million.
Superior Court Justice James Brunton will decide on Dec. 15 whether the six-year sentence fits the crime.
The judge asked Vaillancourt if he had anything to say before he makes his decision.
“I sincerely regret the errors that I committed,” Vaillancourt said, referring to what he put his family, friends and Laval through. “I feel a pain that I will have for the rest of my life. I did a lot of things for Laval. But I made mistakes that are unacceptable.”
He was accused of taking part in a scheme whereby the City of Laval doled out municipal contracts in exchange for bribes and illegal donations from construction entrepreneurs. Police conducted raids at numerous engineering firms and businesses in addition to Vaillancourt’s home, condo, offices and his bank safety deposit boxes.