MONTREAL--Former FTQ chief Jocelyn Dupuis, one of Quebec's most powerful longtime labour leaders, was in court on Monday to contest fraud charges.
Dupuis lawyer Robert La Haye filed a motion for a stay of proceedings in relation to the expense-account fraud case, arguing that the long delays since his arrest deprives him of a fair trial.
The prosecution argued Dupuis cannot claim harm to his repurtation before a trial has even started.
A decision on Dupuis' motion is expected from the judge this week.
The crown claimed that Dupuis manufactured tens of thousands in phony invoices, which netted him $125,000.
Dupuis' arrest two years ago led to his admissions of being acquainted with a wide-variety of controversial characters, including accused murdered Raynald Desjardins and Hells Angels leader Normand Ouimet, both of whose businesses that had ties with the FTQ.
Those revelations, in turn, led to further allegations of corruption in the construction industry.
