Investigation of former Quebec premier Jean Charest on track: police

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The head of Quebec's anti-corruption police squad says an investigation involving former premier Jean Charest is on track and will be passed on to prosecutors for a final decision on charges.

Robert Lafrenière, the head of the province's Unité permanente anticorruption (UPAC), said recent leaks about the investigation into Mr. Charest and his chief fundraiser, Marc Bibeau, will not derail the case, which has gone on for years. But he did not give a timeline for its end.

"The conclusion of the investigation is not threatened by that leak," Mr. Lafrenière told a National Assembly hearing Thursday that was originally called to discuss the province's police spending. Instead, he was quizzed on the progress of corruption investigations and the leak of confidential information from his unit. "I can assure the bandit who leaked that, that we are still on track, just momentarily distracted. There's nobody who is happy about this. The fundamental values of UPAC are undermined by this."

Mr. Lafrenière confirmed that last week the Journal de Montréal obtained documents from the UPAC investigative file that showed the probe is progressing and that it collected information as recently as the fall of 2016 on Mr. Charest's travels. He added that the investigative team has obtained vast amounts of digitized information and is in the process of sifting through it.

The investigation into allegations of illegal fundraising by the Quebec Liberal Party has already gone on for at least four years. Mr. Charest has denied any wrongdoing, and no specific allegations have been made against him.

UPAC was established six years ago in response to a steady stream of revelations about corruption at the provincial and municipal levels of government in Quebec. The police force with a staff of 285 and a $39-million annual budget has conducted investigations that have led to the arrest and imprisonment of dozens of politicians, bureaucrats and business people in the province.

However, the unit has also come under fire for the slow pace of those investigations. Mr. Lafrenière told the hearing that he still has to conclude one investigation that started three years before UPAC was formed. A spate of recent leaks, including the one involving Mr. Charest, has led to speculation about political interference and an internal revolt in the force.

Mr. Lafrenière admitted his force has a problem with leaks and promised to seal them with an internal probe. He also mused that his unit may have been hit by computer hackers. "I was furious," he said of the leak, suggesting someone wanted to derail the Charest investigation. "This is a problem all over but it's unacceptable on this kind of file."

In addition to the leak problem, Montreal police union boss Yves Francoeur alleged last week that charges against two Liberal members of the National Assembly were blocked by political interference in 2012.

Mr. Lafrenière said he checked but concluded that none of his cases match the one described by Mr. Francoeur, echoing testimony this week by the head of prosecutions. UPAC also reached out to Mr. Francoeur to find out more but never got a call back. The union announced late on Thursday that Mr. Francoeur had spoken with the Sûreté du Québec about his allegations.

"There are no investigations being blocked," Mr. Lafrenière testified. "What brings that perception is the length of time our cases take, which can be long. They require intricate work and the analysis of incredible amounts of data. No one is above the law."

Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux opened the hearing by saying vital law-enforcement institutions have taken a hit in credibility in recent weeks.

Even the Montreal police force has been rattled by a separate scandal. Three senior managers have been suspended amid allegations of conflict of interest and meddling in internal affairs cases. Investigations are under way in those cases.