Still no reply from UPAC, Hudson mayor Prévost says
Hudson hasn’t heard back from Quebec’s anticorruption squad, more than two weeks after its mayor sent them a letter asking about the status of ongoing investigations in the town.
Mayor Ed Prévost last spoke to an official from the Unité permanente anticorruption around six weeks ago.
“He told me the inquest was proceeding quite quickly, but it’s been so quick that we’ve heard nothing since,” Prévost said wryly.
During the inquest, $6.5-million in subsidies have been suspended. “We’re concerned because we haven’t heard whether that amount (of money) or any other amount will be released to us,” Prévost said.
On Aug. 5, the mayor announced that he had sent a letter to UPAC commissioner Robert Lafrenière and another agency contact asking them for an update on the investigation.
“We felt that we can’t wait any longer,” Prévost said. “We need to know where they (UPAC) are at, where they are going and when they attend to get there — if indeed they intend to pursue.”
If the delay is unreasonable, the town of Hudson might go after corrupt former administrators and elected officials in civil court, the letter said. “We can try to attempt to recover what we can, but of course, penny-wise and pound-foolish, we don’t want to spend $100,000 on legal fees and only gain $110,000,” Prévost said. “but there’s enough money out there to be worth our while.”
The mayor didn’t specify how much money was mislaid. He said the town may sue a “halfdozen individuals,” without revealing their identities. Before deciding whether to sue, the town will have to look into these officials’ net worth, he added.
It’s normal for UPAC to withhold information about its investigations, said UPAC spokesperson, Anne-Frédérick Laurence. “We can’t make any comment while the investigation is open,” she said. “There is no end date for our investigations. They can remain active for a long time.”
Investigations into mishandling of public money in Hudson began in the spring of 2013. UPAC took over the case from the Sureté du Québec in August of that year.