Former Montreal executive committee president’s corruption trial off to a rocky start

A former chair of Montreal’s executive committee is facing a new trial on corruption charges along with five co-accused, but it got off to a rocky start.

A former chair of the City of Montreal’s executive committee is facing a new trial on corruption charges along with five co-accused, but it got off to a rocky start.

The new trial comes six years after the initial case against Frank Zampino was dismissed by a judge.

Zampino was a top figure in former mayor Gerald Tremblay’s administration, and he was a no-show on what was supposed to be the start of the trial for corruption charges dating back almost 20 years.

“Mr. Zampino invoked a personal medical reason,” said crown prosecutor Nicolas Ammerlaan.

The case was postponed to Feb. 3.

Zampino was the most powerful person in Montreal’s administration two decades ago when he served as the executive committee president.

However, he was forced to resign in 2008 as a scandal was brewing over the attribution of a contract for water meters. He was then forced to testify at the Charbonneau commission that investigated corruption in the construction industry.

The current trial is related to another scandal involving the sale of a city-owned piece of land called Faubourg Contrecoeur in the east end to a private developer for a fraction of its value.

Zampino and seven co-accused were arrested and charged with fraud in 2012, but he and his co-defendants were acquitted for lack of evidence.

However, Zampino was re-arrested in 2017 as part of an investigation into political kickbacks that the city administration allegedly received from companies bidding on city contracts.

“There was a stay of proceedings on an ancillary matter, which was electronic wiretapping,” said Ammerlaan. “So the stay of proceedings was pronounced on the first day that the trial was supposed to begin in September 2019.”

The prosecution appealed the stay, and the Supreme Court of Canada ordered a new trial. The prosecution admits the case won’t be easy to prosecute 20 years after the facts.

“Many witnesses disappear over the years,” said the crown prosecutor. “They move outside of the country. Unfortunately, many have passed away. And there’s always the problem of memory loss.”

The new trial is expected to last from February to May.