Laval fights to recover millions of dollars ‘stolen from taxpayers’

Laval mayor Stéphane Boyer announced the city’s plans to file lawsuits that will attempt to recover funds allegedly stolen from taxpayers.

In a release Monday, the city of Laval details its plans for three court filings to fight alleged corruption in three unexplored areas including the sale of land, the management of snow dumps and a lawsuit against “six facilitators of the old regime”.

The city hopes it can recover more than $9 million that was allegedly “stolen from taxpayers during the era of Gilles Vaillancourt.”

Vaillancourt served as the mayor of Laval from June 8, 1989 until November 9, 2012, when he stepped down in the wake of mounting allegations of corruption and fraud. On Dec. 1, 2016 he was found guilty and sentenced to six years in prison.

According to Boyer, “corruption and collusion have no place in our society. I want to send a clear message that our team is continuing the work. I will maintain the same pressure and the same urgency to act against these unacceptable practices. Today, we are taking a new step to give back to the community what is due to it.”

With these new court fillings, the city hopes that it can recover the funds to give money back to the community.

“The Laval administration is working actively in its fight against corruption and reiterates its desire to be compensated by the people who have taken advantage of Laval residents. With these new claims, we are doing everything we can to ensure that justice is done,” says Simon Tremblay, chief lawyer and senior director of the Legal Affairs Department of City of Laval.