Michael Applebaum, the former mayor of Montreal, will learn Thursday morning whether he has been found guilty or innocent of extorting $60,000 in bribes from business developers.
Justice Louise Provost is to announce her verdict in Quebec Court at the Montreal courthouse.
Applebaum was facing 14 charges of fraud against the government, conspiracy and breach of trust in relation to bribes alleged to have been paid to him between 2007 and 2012 while he was borough mayor of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. If he is found guilty, he could face up to five years in prison.
Applebaum was arrested in June 2013 by Quebec’s anti-corruption police force — known as UPAC — putting an abrupt end to his seven-month tenure as interim-mayor of Montreal. He has maintained his innocence, and opted to be tried by judge alone.
During the nearly two-week trial in November, the prosecution charged that Applebaum extracted $35,000 in bribes from businessmen Anthony Keeler and Robert Stein in 2007 in exchange for ensuring that their Côte-des-Neiges real-estate development plan would go through.
Hugo Tremblay, who served as Applebaum’s political aide and then chief of staff, testified that Applebaum coached him on how to ask for and receive money, which he said was passed to him concealed in DVD boxes in cars or cafés.
Tremblay’s testimony was corroborated by Stein and Keeler. They said they dealt only with Tremblay and never discussed or engaged in illicit activities with Applebaum, but they assumed Applebaum was involved.
Tremblay also testified he and Applebaum colluded to extort $25,000 from businessmen with the firm SOGEP in exchange for ensuring the company would win a multi-year, multi-million dollar sports centre maintenance contract.
Again, Tremblay testified he was the only person to have dealings with the businessmen.
Applebaum’s defence lawyer, Pierre Teasdale, noted Tremblay was the only witness to directly link Applebaum to the crimes, and argued he was testifying in exchange for immunity. Teasdale said Applebaum should not be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt on the basis of a single unreliable witness.
Teasdale also noted Applebaum never implicated himself during three conversations with Tremblay that were secretly recorded by police in which Tremblay was trying to get Applebaum to admit to wrongdoing.
Two other former Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce officials were arrested on the same day as Applebaum: councillor Saulie Zajdel and director of permits and inspections Jean-Yves Bisson.
Bisson pleaded guilty in May 2015 to fraud for accepting a bribe from Keeler and Stein. He was sentenced to nine months to be served in the community, and a fine of $13,000.
Zajdel pleaded guilty to breach of trust and corruption for asking Stein to pay him $10,000 to $15,000 to vote in favour of a demolition permit for the real-estate project. Zajdel received an 18-month suspended sentence to be served in the community, a $10,000 fine to be paid to four charities, and parole.
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