The Charbonneau Commission is holding hearings behind closed doors for the next two weeks in order to preserve the right to a fair trial for multiple members of the Hells Angels.
The commission is taking a closer look at the role of organized crime in the construction industry, and in recent years many members of organized criminal gangs have been arrested.
The witnesses hold key details as to how criminals infiltrated or controlled certain sectors in the construction industry.
Several are facing trial, including a trial this week involving a criminal gang that has operated for decades in the Eastern Townships, dealing in drugs, stolen construction material and arson.
A second police operation focuses on drug dealing and murders in the Abitibi region, while a third focuses on a Hells Angel named Normand Casper Ouimet, suspected of trying to buy control of some construction companies using strong-arm tactics.
In order to protect evidence and the right to an impartial jury the commission decided to place the information under a publication ban, although members of the public are still welcome to watch the inquiry proceedings in person.
Over the next 10 days, up to eight witnesses with specific expertise in the activities of organized criminals are expected to testify.
Five of them are police officers. Another witness is Paul Sauvé, a non-bunkrupt contractor who received major public contracts, including one to renovate one of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa. Sauvé claims the Hells Angels forced his out of business. He revealed alleged ties between bikers and the FTQ construction union during a parliamentary hearing in 2010. He has written a book about how his firm, L.M. Sauvé, was taken over by organized crime. Most of what he’ll say is expected to be covered by a publication ban.
