Former Montreal mayor Michael Applebaum has been found guilty of corruption and most of the charges he faced.
Judge Louise Provost ruled that Applebaum was guilty on eight counts of corruption, fraud, breach of trust and conspiracy. She dismissed four charges, and acquitted him on two.
The former mayor, who at one point collapsed as Provost was reading her judgment, was visibly shocked at the verdict and remained standing as the judge finished and left the room.
Applebaum stood for nearly two hours as Provost summarized the detailed facts of the case and stated that, with no physical proof of a crime, everything hinged on the credibility of the witnesses.
After an hour and 25 minutes, when she said that the key witness against Applebaum was credible, he collapsed against a nearby counter.
Provost ordered a brief recess while Applebaum gathered his composure, then continued reading her decision and delivering her verdict.
In her decision Provost said the key issue was whether the Crown proved beyond a reasonable doubt if Applebaum had committed the crimes.
Five witnesses testified during the trial that the former interim mayor of Montreal and borough mayor of Cote des Neiges-Notre Dame de Grace was at the centre of a scheme to demand kickbacks from business people.
Listen to wiretaps from the Applebaum trial
The witnesses, which included his former aide Hugo Tremblay, said on the stand that the plot involved giving them contracts or ensuring their proposed projects were approved.
Provost said Thursday that multiple details of cash transactions and meeting with developers provided by Tremblay added credibility to the case, stating that he was visibly sincere and not shaken under cross-examination.
She added that many of Applebaum's statements heard on the wiretaps were 'troubling.'
Applebaum called no witnesses at the end of his trial in November, with his lawyer saying every witness against him was unreliable.
Defence lawyer Pierre Teasdale had summed up the case by saying the witnesses, who all admitted giving or receiving bribes, were only trying to save themselves.
Crown prosecutor Nathalie Kleber said Applebaum was careful to keep his hands clean, but was confident she had proved that Applebaum knew about the money being collected on his behalf, and had directed the scheme.
"We had five witnesses and the judge has decided that all witnesses were both credible and reliable and that's the reason why, she considered that, because of that, the proof has been done on all the essential elements, Because she decided that she could believe them," said Kleber.
Witnesses said the bribes were connected to two projects between 2007 and 2010, when Applebaum was borough mayor.
Applebaum was one of three men charged for the plot.
Those other two men, former councillor Saulie Zajdel and Jean-Yves Bisson, the head of permits for the borough, pleaded guilty to the charges they faced. Both were sentenced to community service.
Sentencing arguments for Applebaum will be made on February 15. He faces a maximum of five years in prison.
