QUEBEC CITY - The government may say UPAC's sweeping raids and arrests Tuesday prove the anti-corruption squad is doing its job, but it is also facing serious questions about one of the people arrested.
Louis-Georges Boudreault is a longtime Liberal party volunteer and fundraiser, and was among the 14 people arrested during the UPAC's crackdown.
Premier Jean Charest refused to take questions from reporters on the issue Wednesday, but opposition parties had plenty to say.
"We can not attack only the corrupters. We have to attack also the corrupt decision makers. There are two ends to that corruption scheme," said Quebec Solidaire leader Amir Khadir.
Coalition Avenir Quebec MNA Gerald Deltell said Charest must bring the topic to light.
"Now the Liberal Party has the obligation to explain what the role of Mr. Boudreault was in the Liberal Party. This guy is not a no-name guy; he was nominated by Mr. Charest himself as the best volunteer of the Liberal Party," said Deltell.
A year after that nomination, Boudreault was fined by Elections Quebec after allegedly breaking financing laws during the 2008 election.
Parti Quebecois transport critic Nicolas Girard criticized the Liberals for the alleged ties.
"When the Liberal Party is in power, they have a lot more money in their coffers, so a lot of people are asking the question: Why when the Liberal Party is in power there are more people financing this party?" he said.
Transport Minister Pierre Moreau dismissed the criticism.
"These people were donating to all parties. It means that there is no link, or it's difficult to make a link between what they were doing as donators, and what they were doing elsewhere," said Moreau.
Tuesday's arrests aim to show that no one is above the law. Meanwhile, opposition parties say they believe the arrests are just the tip of the iceberg -- and the Liberals will soon have a lot more explaining to do.
