Party financing under microscope as PQ files official complaint

The Parti Québécois confirmed on Tuesday evening that its director general and director of finances and administration met with provincial anti-corruption investigators in February.

During what the PQ called an “informal” meeting, two UPAC investigators questioned the directors about the party’s financing and organization.

“The Parti Québécois has not been the subject of any search, has not had any other meeting with the investigators and no document has been requested (by police),” the party said in a statement.

According to the statement, the meeting was intended to be confidential, but the party chose to release information after details of the meeting were leaked to the media.

“The Parti Québécois chose to make public all information on this subject, in order to avoid confusion with the situation of the Liberal Party,” the party said.

Earlier Tuesday, the PQ filed a complaint with the province’s chief electoral officer about information that came out more than three weeks ago about the Quebec Liberal Party’s finances.

The province’s anti-corruption squad raided Liberal party headquarters last July, which led them to businesses owned by Marc Bibeau, the Liberals’ chief fundraiser.

UPAC raided Bibeau’s companies Schokbeton and Saramac in November.

Among the items listed in the search warrants are emails concerning envelopes given to Schokbeton. Some of the material seized revealed $428,000 was raised at one event, yet that amount doesn’t appear in the Liberals’ financial statements, PQ candidate Pierre Duschene said.

“Why are they hiding that?” he asked.

He said the PQ would like answers from Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard about where the money came from.