The homes of former high-ranking City of Montreal city officials Frank Zampino and Robert Abdallah were among the locations targeted in a series of raids undertaken by UPAC, Quebec’s anti-corruption squad, early Wednesday.
Zampino served as second-in-command under former mayor Gerald Tremblay, while Abadallah served as city manager.
The six men whose homes were raided were all involved in a controversial contract from 2008 for the purchase of $350 million worth of water meters for Montreal.
Police raided Zampino’s home because he not only led the dossier at city hall, but later left to work for Genie-Eau, the company that received the contract.
Abdallah had also moved from city hall to a company linked to the water meter contracts, which belonged to infamous construction magnate Tony Accurso, explaining why police also searched for documents at his address.
The others also visited by UPAC include Bernard Trepanier, the infamous fundraiser for Union Montreal known as ‘Mr. Three Per Cent,’ along with contractors Paolo Catania and Frank Minicucci.
The water meter scheme that was exposed by the city's auditor general in 2009.
Zampino and Abdallah have been mentioned repeatedly in Charbonneau Commission testimony, most recently when they were shown in holiday snapshots alongside controversial businessman Tony Accurso.
Abdallah had been fingered in Charbonneau Commission testimony by former construction chief Lino Zambito, who said that Abdallah ordered him to use more expensive material than he was proposing, as part of a kickback scheme. He has protested his innocence.
