MONTREAL - One of Quebec's longtime most powerful labour leaders is facing now officially facing trial on charges of fraud.
Former FTQ chief Jocelyn Dupuis was in court Thursday for his preliminary inquiry to evaluate the evidence in relation to expense-account fraud.
The crown claimed that Dupuis manufactured tens of thousands in phony invoices.
A forensic accountant was at court to bolster the crown's case, which was deemed sufficiently significant to proceed with a trial, which will take place in front of a judge and without jury.
"It's not a trial, the judge has no power to acquit or find guilty. It's to judge for the judge to evaluate if there's enough evidence to cite to trial, to send the accused to trial," said Dupuis' attorney Robert Lahaye.
A publication ban prevents media from reporting the evidence.
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.
