Trial: Michael Applebaum would have taught him everything about corruption

The former Montreal Mayor Michael Applebaum showed his former chief of staff all the wheels of corruption and illegal political financing, told it to the trial of the deposed mayor.
Dining out, travel in Greece, Argentina and on the French Riviera and beautiful clothes … Hugo Tremblay admits to having used the corruption at the time when he worked for Applebaum in Côte-des-Neiges Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.
“I had my introduction to corruption by Michael Applebaum said Mr. Tremblay to the court. [He] said that to go to an election, he had accumulated a war chest outside the body (of the party). ”

Applebaum, 53, faces 14 charges of corruption, fraud, conspiracy and breach of trust. The heads cover the period from 2006 to 2010, when he was Mayor of the Borough.
“The defendant has requested money from entrepreneurs who wanted to do business with the district Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, at the time when he was mayor of the district,” said explained Ms. Nathalie Kleber, of the Crown, in his opening statement Monday.
Jars of wine
According to Hugo Tremblay, his former boss was “open” to corruption. The witness found out twice when he would have gone to cash in bribes to the accused.
“That’s when I realized that he was, in the words of the” fling flang ‘ “said the witness.
At the request of Applebaum, Mr. Tremblay would have met Anthony Keeler developer to negotiate a bribe in exchange for support for a real estate project on student residences.
The witness said he went to a cafe and although Applebaum told him to ask for $ 100,000, Mr. Tremblay would have claimed $ 35,000. The amounts have been written on a paper and then erased.
A “beautiful Christmas”
Mr. Keeler had finally agreed to pay the pot of wine. But to keep secret all, no one spoke openly of corruption.
“The promoter said:” It will work, we will have a nice Christmas, ‘ “testified Mr. Tremblay.
Money, banknotes, was subsequently given in three installments. In two of the three installments, all was hidden in a video game box according to the witness who would have received a 33% share. Applebaum would have cashed the rest.
The second event narrated to the court concerns a maintenance contract to a sports center. According to the witness, an amount of $ 25,000 was agreed, half of which was to be found in the defendant’s pockets.
Mr. Tremblay however turncoat when he was approached by the investigators kits Applebaum.
After hesitating between “doing good” and “betray a friend [Applebaum],” the witness eventually agreed to cooperate.
Just before the end of the hearing day, Monday, he said he had tried to trap his former boss with hidden microphones, at the request of police. His testimony continues today at the Montreal courthouse.
THIS HUGO TREMBLAY SAID
“Michael Applebaum is someone extremely wary. ”
“I had to close my phone when there was money remittance. ”
“I was against the fact that he is mayor of Montreal, I knew he had skeletons in the closet. ”
“People [who engage in corruption] become convinced that they have done nothing. ”
“When I met with the investigators, I felt liberated, it soothes the conscience. “