MONTREAL— Luigi Coretti, the head of a company that provided disgraced former MNA Tony Tomassi with a credit card allegedly used inappropriately, was arrested on Monday.
Between 2005 and 2010, the Surete du Quebec suspects that Coretti was responsible for a number of cases where bank accounts were overstated in order to obtain loans under false pretenses. SQ investigators say that the Laval man is suspected of falsifying documents to obtain bank loans and will be charged with two counts of fraud.
Coretti is a friend of former Liberal family minister Tony Tomassi, who was ejected from his party's caucus in May 2010 after facing allegations of fraud against the government and abuse of confidence by a public official.
Premier Charest ejected Tomassi after it was revealed that the family minister had used a credit card belonging to a firm owned by Coretti.
Coretti’s security firm, BCIA, was the granted the contract to protect Montreal police headquarters in 2008, sparking a major controversy.
Charged with two counts of fraud over $5,000, the creation of false documents and making false declarations, the 47-year-old Laval man spent much of Monday at SQ headquarters before being released with conditions.
Swept up as part of an investigation that started in October 2010, Coretti is the second person to be arrested in connection with the fraud. With the investigation ongoing, the SQ is not commenting on the arrest.
Tomassi, who sat as an independent MNA after May 6, 2010, finally resigned his seat on May 3, 2012 after appearing rarely in the blue chamber. He is expected in Quebec superior court in September.
A date for Coretti's first court appearance is unknown.
