Latest news with #GéraldTremblay
CBC
27-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Zampino grilled over 'mystery' faxes and hard drive at municipal corruption trial
Frank Zampino, the former head of Montreal's executive committee, was grilled Tuesday by a Crown prosecutor about faxes addressed to him that he says he never saw, and a hard drive seized from his house by police that he says was not his. Zampino — second-in-command to former city mayor Gérald Tremblay from 2001 to 2008 — continued testifying at his trial on charges of fraud, conspiracy and breach of trust in connection with an alleged municipal bid-rigging scandal. Several times Judge Silvie Kovacevich admonished Crown prosecutor Nicolas Ammerlaan to stop interrupting Zampino's answers as he tried to explain the mysterious faxes and hard drive. "What was seized at my house was a hard drive that I had never seen. It's equipment I never purchased," Zampino testified. Ammerlaan asked, "you're saying the black hard drive that was on a shelf in your home, you'd never seen that? Are you saying the police planted that?" Zampino replied, "no, that's not what I'm saying. But it was not a hard drive I purchased. I have no idea where that hard drive came from." "It was not a piece of equipment that I had ever seen in my home," he said. Zampino conceded that he was generally familiar with most of the material investigators eventually discovered on the hard drive, but he offered no other explanation as to how the drive might have ended up in his home office. Faxes 'remain a mystery' In that same office was a fax machine. Last week, Zampino testified about several faxes sent to that fax number and to the number of a fax machine in his office — faxes he claims he never saw. The faxes were sent by Bernard Trépanier, the former head of financing for Zampino's party, Union Montreal. The prosecution alleges Zampino, with Trépanier's help, put in place a system allowing 13 engineering firms to share 34 public contracts with a total value of $160 million between 2004 and 2009. In return, the engineering firms would allegedly make a donation of three per cent of the value of each contract to Union Montreal, as well as an initial donation — sort of like an entry fee to participate in the scheme — ranging from $50,000 to $200,000. Trépanier died of cancer in 2018. The faxes Zampino was asked about were all by Trépanier to Zampino's attention, sometimes with a note saying "as discussed" or "following our meeting." They generally included the name of an engineering firm identified as having won a municipal contract, the amount of the contract and the names of firms that offered losing bids. Zampino testified Friday he had never seen any of these faxes. Ammerlaan asked him Tuesday how that was possible. "To this very day it still remains a mystery to me. I can't explain where those faxes came from and why I've never seen them," Zampino replied. He continued to vehemently deny any knowledge of a municipal bid-rigging scheme. "I never participated in any arrangement where there's an exchange of political donations for contracts with whomever," Zampino said. "I never received, I never requested, I never facilitated any amount of monies in exchange for contracts," he said. Key witness died during first trial Four other people are also facing charges: former director of public works for the city, Robert Marcil, and the heads of three engineering firms, Kazimierz Olechnowicz, Bernard Poulin and Normand Brousseau. This is the second trial for Zampino and his co-accused after he was arrested in 2017. The judge in the first trial ordered a stay of proceedings after determining that wiretap evidence gathered by investigators — including recordings of Zampino and his co-accused talking with their lawyers — was unconstitutional. That decision was appealed to the Quebec Court of Appeal, which concluded that even though the wiretap evidence was indeed unconstitutional, it was not enough to justify a stay of proceedings and that a new trial should be held without using the wiretap evidence. That decision was appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, which last year refused to hear the case, leading to this new trial which began in February. Zampino testified Tuesday that he had hoped Trépanier might be able to shed light on the mysterious faxes during the first trial. He said he knew Trépanier was in fragile health at the time, and that his legal team asked the Crown to skip a preliminary hearing in the case so that Trépanier's testimony might occur before his health worsened. But it was too late. The Crown refused to wave the preliminary hearing and Trépanier died while the first trial was still underway, before he could testify.
CBC
26-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Frank Zampino defends vacations on Tony Accurso's infamous yacht at corruption trial
Social Sharing Frank Zampino, the former head of the city of Montreal's executive committee, testified Monday at his municipal corruption trial about vacations he took on the yacht belonging to former construction magnate and convicted fraudster Tony Accurso. The vacations happened in 2007 and 2008 on Accurso's infamous luxury yacht, the Touch. Along with Zampino and his wife, Accurso was there with his wife as well as some other guests. "This was a friend who invited me in a social invitation, I did this in the context of a friendship," Zampino testified about the two vacations, which were each about a week long. He testified he had known Accurso since the late 80s and that their fathers briefly did business together decades earlier. Zampino said there was nothing untoward about the trips. "I never mixed or blurred the lines between my social friendships and my public duty at the City of Montreal," he said. "I never discussed anything regarding contracts with anyone on that boat," he said. Zampino said he asked Accurso to send him a bill for the trips, and that Accurso reluctantly agreed. Zampino paid $5,000 for each trip. Accurso was sentenced to four years in prison in 2018 for his role in a collusion scheme over public contracts in Laval, Que. Zampino is facing charges of fraud, conspiracy and breach of trust in connection with a similar alleged scheme in Montreal, where he was second-in-command to former mayor Gérald Tremblay from 2001 to 2009. The prosecution alleges Zampino put in place a system allowing 13 engineering firms to share 34 public contracts with a total value of $160 million between 2004 and 2009. In return, the engineering firms would allegedly make a donation of three per cent of the value of each contract to Zampino's party, Union Montreal, as well as an initial donation — sort of like an entry fee to participate in the scheme — ranging from $50,000 to $200,000. Since he began testifying in his own defence last Thursday, Zampino has repeatedly denied any involvement in any such scheme, despite having numerous friends and business acquaintances who have either been found guilty of or admitted to wrongdoing. He maintains he was unaware of any such scheme in Montreal until he first heard about when it came up during testimony at the Charbonneau commission into municipal corruption in 2013. Four other people are also facing charges: former director of public works for the city, Robert Marcil, and the heads of three engineering firms, Kazimierz Olechnowicz, Bernard Poulin and Normand Brousseau. Zampino's testimony in his own defence wrapped up Monday.
CBC
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Frank Zampino, former Montreal politician, testifies in his own defence at corruption trial
The former head of Montreal's executive committee, Frank Zampino, testified in his own defence Thursday at his trial on municipal corruption charges and denied any involvement in a municipal contract bid-rigging scheme. Zampino was second-in-command to former mayor Gérald Tremblay from 2001 to 2009. The prosecution alleges Zampino put in place a system allowing 13 engineering firms to share 34 public contracts with a total value of $160 million between 2004 and 2009. In return, the engineering firms would allegedly make a donation of three per cent of the value of each contract to Zampino's party, Union Montreal, as well as an initial donation — sort of like an entry fee to participate in the scheme — ranging from $50,000 to $200,000. "Your honour, I have never participated in any form of collusion or bid-rigging scheme in any way or any circumstance," Zampino testified. "I have never orchestrated any such scheme. I have never fixed the outcome of any public tender. I have never authorized or given a mandate to anyone to further facilitate any such system," he said. Zampino said the first time he learned of the alleged contract-sharing scheme was when it came up during testimony at the Charbonneau commission in 2013. After summing up his personal and professional career, Zampino was asked about attending sporting events in private boxes. Zampino testified that he and other members of the city's executive committee regularly attended Montreal Canadiens games and concerts at the Bell Centre in private boxes at the invitation of engineering firms and other businesses. "To my knowledge, no one ever paid for those tickets. They're generally purchased by the different companies that invited us," Zampino said. "I was never asked to refund and I never offered. This was a practice that was in force for many years," he said. Zampino's testimony was continuing Thursday afternoon. Four other people are also facing charges: former director of public works for the city, Robert Marcil, and the heads of three engineering firms, Kazimierz Olechnowicz, Bernard Poulin and Normand Brousseau. A previous witness for the prosecution, Michel Lalonde, the former head of the Groupe Séguin engineering firm, testified in March that it was widely known during the Tremblay administration that Zampino was "the person to see" in order to obtain lucrative contracts in Montreal. This is the second trial for Zampino and his co-accused after he was arrested in 2017. The judge in the first trial ordered a stay of proceedings after determining that wiretap evidence gathered by investigators — including recordings of Zampino and his co-accused talking with their lawyers — was unconstitutional. That decision was appealed to the Quebec Court of Appeal, which concluded that even though the wiretap evidence was indeed unconstitutional, it was not enough to justify a stay of proceedings and that a new trial should be held without using the wiretap evidence. That decision was appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, which last year refused to hear the case, leading to this new trial which began in February.
Toronto Sun
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Former Montreal mayor testifies at Frank Zampino's corruption trial
Tremblay defended his record, explaining his government's actions shortly after a new city of Montreal was created. Published May 06, 2025 • Last updated 16 hours ago • 2 minute read Former Montreal mayor Gérald Tremblay arrives at the Frank Zampino trial at the Montreal courthouse on Tuesday May 6, 2025. Photo by Dave Sidaway / Postmedia Once a politician, always a politician. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Gérald Tremblay, the former mayor of Montreal, sounded like he was making a speech Tuesday when he was called to testify at the corruption trial of Frank Zampino, the former head of the city's executive committee after Tremblay was elected mayor in 2001 of the newly merged city of Montreal. While he was called as a witness for the prosecution, Tremblay sounded more like a character witness for the defence when he testified about why he chose Zampino to lead the executive committee. 'He had the knowledge of the municipal world,' Tremblay told Quebec Court Judge Silvia Kovacevich. Tremblay also said the fact that Zampino was a chartered accountant was considered a plus for a newly formed city that was, as a prosecutor put it, 'practically bankrupt.' Tremblay also sounded like a man defending his legacy and the idea of a merged city, the reason why he was elected in the first place in 2001. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He referenced a summit held after he was elected that was attended by 4,000 people tied to the municipalities involved in the merger. 'Everyone was gathered together to make sure we would move together for the new city,' Tremblay said as if he was addressing a crowd of potential voters. 'Everybody was hoping for the success of the new city.' Robert Marcil, 60, the former head of the city's public works department, is also on trial. Zampino and Marcil face three charges each: conspiracy, fraud and breach of trust. Three former executives of engineering firms are also on trial. They are; Bernard Poulin, 73, the founder and former CEO of engineering firm Groupe SM International Inc.; Kazimierz Olechnowicz, 72, the former head of CIMA+, and Normand Brousseau, 80, the former head of Teknika HBA. The prosecution's theory of the case is that Zampino organized a plan to award contracts, offered through public tenders by the City of Montreal, in exchange for illegal financing for the Union Montréal political party. Zampino is alleged to have put in place and orchestrated a system of collusion, with the goal of leading the fraudulent awarding of contracts to 13 engineering firms in exchange for political contributions. The scheme stretched from 2004 to 2009, and the case involves 34 contracts worth more than $160 million. Columnists Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls Columnists Toronto & GTA
