80 000$ of work for free in the ex-DG of Laval

Photo Pierre-Paul Poulin
Gilles Théberge says his company Valmont Nadon Excavation has provided work worth $ 100,000 to the house where lived Claude Asselin.

Jean-Louis Fortin

Friday, 20 October 2017 20:20

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Friday, 20 October 2017 20:20

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A contractor who got contracts fixing in Laval admits to having provided free landscaping worth $ 80 000 to the residence of the former director-general of the City, Claude Asselin.

Gilles Théberge, former director for the firm Valmont Nadon, explained on Friday that makes this gift around 2005. He maintained his good relations with the director general of the City, who is in prison on Wednesday for participating in the system illegal sharing of public contracts.

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Gilles Théberge, a Former director at Valmont Nadon

Théberge is a witness in the trial of the entrepreneur Tony Accurso, also accused of having participated in the cartel.

The witness explained that Valmont Nadon was first constructed at its expense a wall, anti-erosion stone to the rear of the house and of the director-general of the City.

“We brought the equipment, excavators, loaders , and we bought the stones “, he told before the judge James Brunton of the superior Court and the 12 members of the jury.

Landscaped

Once the wall is built, the company Valmont Nadon has hired a sub-contractor for a fortnight to complete the landscaping of the land belonging to Claude Asselin.

The expense of Valmont Nadon, this sub-contractor has completed the laying of pavers, planting trees and the installation of an automatic irrigation system, described by the witness.

Total cost of the work in Claude Asselin : 100 000 $, according to Gilles Théberge. An invoice would have been sent to the DG for the sake of appearances.

“He was charged in between 20 000 and 25 000 $. It was at the request of Mr. Nadon (the owner of Valmont Nadon), who insisted that he pay something.

Mr. Asselin was okay with it, ” recalled Gilles Théberge.

In the context of the trial of Tony Accurso, the Crown intends to show that in Laval, entrepreneurs who participated in the sharing of contracts offered gifts and cash to the intention of senior government officials and the ex-mayor Gilles Vaillancourt.

Claude Asselin, as gentlemen Accurso and Vaillancourt, is part of the 37 people arrested in may 2013 in the framework of the investigation Honor. He is in jail since Wednesday, has been sentenced to a term of incarceration of two years less a day.

The trial of Tony Accurso continues Monday at the palace of justice in Laval.

Accurso was informed, according to the witness

Tony Accurso was aware of the sharing system of public contracts in Laval, to such a point that it would have intervened to try to resolve a dispute between two firms collusionnaires, according to Gilles Théberge.

In 2005, the witness told, the administration Vaillancourt would have referred to “by mistake”, two winners for one contract about$ 4 Million. It was an exceptional case, because the collusion was usually well oiled, has supported Mr. Théberge.

He explained that his company, Valmont Nadon Excavation, as well as that of Tony Accurso, the Construction Louisbourg, were both told by the director of engineering for the City, Claude Of Guise, they were winning.

To resolve the impasse, Théberge claims to have met with Mr. Accurso, and one of the arms rights of the latter, Joe Molluso, in the great office of Accurso to St-Eustache.

“Mr. Accurso said to me : I will deal with it “, said under oath on the witness.

Gilles Théberge assumes that Accurso has met Gilles Vaillancourt, but it is not certain.

Contradictions raised

Finally, ” the mayor has not been able to decide between the two companies “, explained Gilles Théberge. For a rare time, Valmont Nadon has thus won the contract after submitting the best price ” free competition “, according to the witness.

In cross-examination, the lawyer for Mr. Accurso, Marc Labelle, has attacked the integrity of Mr. Théberge, recalling that the latter had engaged in false billing in order to get the cash required for the payment of the dividend of 2 % required to collusionnaires.

It has also raised the contradictions between some of the information that Thompson has forwarded to the police, in recent years, and the responses that he gave this week before the Court.