Yves Francoeur, the president of the Montreal police union, said last Thursday that frustrated investigators told him in 2012 that an iron-clad corruption investigation they had into two Liberal members was suddenly dropped.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Quebec police have launched an investigation into a police union leader's allegations that a high-level law enforcement official blocked criminal charges against two Liberal members of the National Assembly to protect the party.
After five days of controversy, the director of the provincial prosecutor's office requested the police investigation, saying the allegation has left a cloud over her office and law enforcement in the province.
Yves Francoeur, the president of the Montreal police union, said last Thursday that frustrated investigators told him in 2012 that an iron-clad corruption investigation they had into two Liberal members – one of whom has since left politics – was suddenly dropped. He did not explain why he waited five years to mention it.
Mr. Francoeur issued a statement on Tuesday sticking to his allegation and promising to co-operate with investigators from the Sûreté du Québec and the Montreal police. The short statement was his first public utterance since he dropped the explosive allegation on the radio.
In his interview, Mr. Francoeur seemed to imply but did not precisely spell out that someone in the prosecutors office was behind the decision – an allegation denied by Annick Murphy, the director of the prosecutions office. Mr. Francoeur alleged anybody but a Liberal member of the legislature would have been charged given the strength of the evidence.
Ms. Murphy announced on Tuesday morning that she was requesting the investigation. She had spent several days in the hot seat at a legislative committee meeting where she challenged Mr. Francoeur to report wrongdoing to police. She said the allegations "are grave" and threaten the integrity of the administration of justice in Quebec.
Ms. Murphy, who said last week that any investigation into the Liberal MNAs never came to the prosecutions office, was accused on Monday at the committee meeting by opposition MNAs of failing to go very far in verifying Mr. Francoeur's claim.
Parti Québécois justice critic Véronique Hivon challenged the chief prosecutor to check internal logs for the wiretaps Mr. Francoeur said were part of the investigation. Ms. Murphy said she did not have enough information to make such checks.
"There are a lot of questions that have not been answered, a lot of checks that have not been made, and now we have this spectacular reversal," Ms. Hivon said on Tuesday. "They should have been much more proactive from the start."
Quebec Justice Minister Stéphanie Vallée insisted the investigation is aimed at getting the facts and not at Mr. Francoeur – even though she said on Monday that Mr. Francoeur "is hurting" prosecutors.
"This is not a war against Mr. Francoeur," Ms. Vallée said. "There are grave allegations that were made and we would have thought after such grave allegations he would have been in contact [with police and prosecutors]. That was not the case."
In a strange twist, it emerged on Tuesday that the Liberals approached Mr. Francoeur about running for the party several months ago. Mr. Francoeur said he declined the invitation.
He said he was offered the Liberal candidacy in a seat now held by Robert Poëti – a popular MNA and former police officer who raised alarms about collusion and bullying in his own ministry when he was transport minister. He was shuffled to the back benches soon afterward. Mr. Poëti said he will run in the 2018 election.
Les Perreaux