QUEBEC CITY – The province’s auditor general has cleared former Treasury Board President Sam Hamad of allegations of conflict of interest, sort of.
The minister stepped down from his cabinet position in April after accusations surfaced that he gave privileged information to a firm run by former Liberal cabinet member Marc-Yvan Coté.
READ MORE: Quebec treasury board president Sam Hamad steps down amid ethics investigation
A Radio-Canada report suggested Hamad might have passed along strategic information to help Premier Tech, which received a government grant of $8.5 million that was one million dollars more than they asked for.
Not only that but Auditor General Guylaine Leclair found no documentation to explain the additional subsidy.
She also noted that the value of the project was overstated.
In April, the premier agreed with Hamad’s decision to step down from cabinet, after he left the National Assembly to vacation in Florida while on paid leave.
READ MORE: Sam Hamad coming back from Florida on Thursday amid allegations
At the time, the 57-year-old Hamad denied any wrongdoing and called on the ethics commissioner to conduct an investigation.
Two other investigations are currently being conducted into Hamad’s involvement with Premier Tech. One is being overseen by the ethics commissioner and the other, by the Chief Electoral Officer.