Montreal mayor's associates nabbed in probe

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Jun 18, 2007
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MONTREAL -- Police arrested nine people in an anti-corruption sweep that nabbed several former key members of Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay's inner circle.

With Thursday's dragnet, the corruption scandals that have rocked Quebec over the last four years have returned home to where they started: Montreal's city hall.

It was there that initial news reports about conflicts of interest sprouted, before eventually growing into provincewide scandals that triggered a public inquiry set to begin next week.

Now the mayor's former No. 2, Frank Zampino, faces criminal charges. So does his ex-chief of staff, Martial Fillion. Ditto 74-year-old Bernard Trepanier, a key former fundraiser for the mayor's political party.

The three were picked up Thursday in connection with an alleged fraud scheme related to a public contract worth more than $300 million.

Even the mayor was among the 120 people questioned by police, over the course of a three-year investigation prompted by a tip. Police wouldn't say how many times they had spoken to Tremblay.


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Montreal mayor's associates nabbed in probe - Winnipeg Free Press