Mayor’s Laval apartment raided
Just hours after Laval Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt affirmed he would not be resigning after 23 years in power, Quebec’s anti-corruption squad (UPAC) raided his second home, an apartment in the Chomedey district.
Just before 8 p.m. Friday, investigators descended on the apartment complex, to “continue the work they began (Thursday)” said a UPAC spokeswoman, AnneFrédérick Laurence.
It was a little over 24 hours since UPAC had raided Vaillancourt’s official residence and Laval city hall, where investigators had worked through the night to retrieve boxes of paper and electronic documents.
Laurence would not give details on the nature of the investigation. But a police source confirmed to The Gazette that UPAC investigators are probing the possibility that Vaillancourt has a Swiss bank account.
The mayor himself also refused to answer questions about the UPAC investigation, or address any of the myriad rumours swirling around city hall about the man some have dubbed “mayor for life,” and instead offered a brief statement to reporters Friday afternoon.
“I will not be resigning,” said Vaillancourt, 71, who has been mayor of Quebec’s second-largest city since 1989 and a city council fixture since the 1970s.
He said that it has always been his objective to act responsibly and maintain services for the citizens of Laval, and that he was surprised by the UPAC raids.
“I must confess what I am facing today comes as a total shock to me,” he said. “This is not a pleasant situation for me and I decided to speak today to show transparency and to reiterate that I and my administration have always acted in the best interests of the citizens.”
Upon Vaillancourt’s exit, Laval media spokesman Johanne Bournival was asked whether Vaillancourt will be called to give evidence at the Charbonneau Commission into collusion and corruption in the construction industry.
“He hasn’t been called, but if he is called he will go,” Bournival said. “He is not avoiding questions, he just wants more information first.”
The Charbonneau Commission has heard within the last week from former construction entrepreneur Lino Zambito about a system of bid-rigging in municipal contracts in the city of Montreal involving the industry and members of every level of government.