Accurso found not guilty of breach of trust

Photo Martin Alarie

Geneviève Quessy

Tuesday, February 6, 2018 10:41

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Tuesday, February 6, 2018 10:46

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The jury found, Tony Accurso is not guilty of the charge of having helped the ex-mayor of Mascouche, Richard Marcotte to commit a breach of trust.

The verdict was delivered on Tuesday, at the courthouse in Joliette, at the end of a day and a half of deliberations.

Tony Accurso was accused of having helped the ex-mayor of Mascouche, Richard Marcotte to commit an abuse of the trust between 2006 and 2008. During this period, while his company, Simard-Beaudry soumissionnait and obtained contracts with the City of Mascouche, the evidence showed that Tony Accurso has invited Richard Marcotte, three times on his luxury boat the Touch, all expenses paid, including airfare, and that it has made him a cheque of $300 000.

Mr. Accurso said to have acted in friendship and never having discussed it with the mayor of the contracts that his company got from the City of Mascouche. The jury accepted his defence and was released from the charges leveled against him.

Balance sheet of the operation Gravel

Tony Accurso has been arrested by the Unité permanente anticorruption (UPAC) in April 2012, in the framework of operation Gravel, in the same time as 14 other people. The UPAC was then dismantled a large system of collusion in Mascouche. This scheme was for entrepreneurs and engineering firms to contribute to the illegal financing of the party of mayor Richard Marcotte, and to provide personal benefits to politicians and officials, in order to be privileged in the awarding of contracts.

The ex-mayor of Mascouche, Richard Marcotte died since the filing of the charges.

Four of the co-accused, Luc Tremblay, Normand Trudel, and two engineers Rosaire Fontaine and André Maisonneuve, have pleaded guilty. Luc Tremblay and Normand Trudel were convicted and sentenced to a prison sentence. The firm BPR Triax has also been found guilty. The charges were withdrawn on Sylvie Chased.

In may 2017, four co-defendants have received a stay of proceedings under the judgment in Jordan, Jacques Audette, Serge Duplessis, Pierre Lamarche, and Peter Raymond.

Tony Accurso has requested and obtained a separate trial before a jury. Since the beginning of his trial, of two counts of fraud and conspiracy for fraud were abandoned at the request of the Crown. Finally, following a request for acquittal from the defense, on the 24th of January last, the judge took the decision to pay Tony Accurso to one count of bribery of a public official. The jury ultimately acquitted mr. Accurso of the last head of the accusation which weighed against him in this case.