Quebec’s anti-corruption squad conducted a raid Wednesday at the home of former Montreal mayor Gerald Tremblay.
UPAC spokesperson Anne-Frederique Laurence has confirmed 10 police officers were at the scene of a raid, but would not confirm where. SQ police cars could be seen parked outside Tremblay's Outremont home. Investigators also exited the semi-detached home with boxes.
Surete du Quebec was also stationed outside Gerald Tremblay's country house in St Hippolite, where the property's gates were shut.
UPAC has conducted a number of raids related to the water meter contract scandal lately; this is the eighth time UPAC has carried out raids over the last six weeks.
Tremblay was mayor when a $355-million water meter contract was awarded in 2007 and when that same contract was cancelled in 2009 after the auditor general found problems with how it was awarded.
Tremblay’s legal team said the former mayor would not be speaking to the media Wednesday, who arrived at his home, saying they were just there to gather information. Tremblay has, in the past, denied any knowledge of collusion or corruption going on within his administration. Frank Zampino, his former right-hand man, is accused of orchestrating the awarding of the contract, which went to consortium Genieau.
Tremblay was mayor from 2001 until he resigned in 2012, one year before the end of his mandate. His resignation came after testimony about his party and illegal fundraising was heard at the Charbonneau Commission, the province's inquiry into the construction industry.
There were allegations at the Commission that high ranking civil servants tried to sound the alarm with Tremblay about corruption and collusion.
Tremblay maintained he didn't look at the information because he was busy at the time saving the FINA World Swimming Championships.
Judge France Charbonneau said at the time he found it hard to believe he was completely in the dark on the matter. Tremblay also said he didn't read a second report about construction industry collusion, in 2006.
Last week, UPAC investigators searched the homes of former Montreal executive committee member Sammy Forcillo and Lachine Mayor Claude Dauphin. They also visited Dauphin’s Lachine office.
Investigators searched the offices of Morrow Communications, a firm owned by Tremblay's former campaign manager André Morrow, Tuesday.
There have been no arrests made related to the water meter contract. UPAC remains tightlipped about the ongoing investigation.
