Montreal police chief Philippe Pichet confirmed that assistant police chief, Bernard Lamothe, has been temporarily relieved of his duties.
READ MORE: Montreal police Chief Philippe Pichet holds meeting with senior officers
“This morning I had some specific information related to Mr. Lamothe, there are some files open,” said Pichet.
“I decided to relieve him from his function to give time for the investigation to make light of the situation.”
Lamothe’s suspension comes a week after the Quebec government broadened its investigation into allegations of wrongdoing within the Montreal police force.
A probe was launched after two former organized crime investigators appeared on a TV show and accused the force of corruption and fabricating evidence against lower-ranking officers.
The police chief would not confirm that Lamothe’s suspension is related to these allegations.
“I asked the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) to reopen different files to shed light. Now we have an integrated team and they can be sure that I will take action if I have any information, like I did this morning,” Pichet said.
Earlier Friday, Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux named a former deputy justice minister to lead the administrative probe.
This minister will work from within the SPVM to not only look into the allegations, but also the entire process of how internal investigations are handled.
READ MORE: Montreal police accused of fabricating evidence, SQ investigating
Coiteux said the inquiry is progressing but it would take time to shed light on the situation.
“We take all of these allegations very seriously,” the minister said.
“It is no longer only the SQ involved, there is also the RCMP and other municipal police forces.”
Coiteux also called upon police chief Pichet to present an action plan as to what he intends to do to deal with the allegations going forward.
– With files from The Canadian Press
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