Antonio Accurso arrived at the Laval courthouse Thursday, accompanied by his lawyer, to face five counts of fraud, conspiracy and breach of trust.
The disgraced construction tycoon’s case is going to trial four years after he was first arrested.
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In his opening statement, lead prosecutor Richard Rougeau spoke to the jury of six men and six women.
He accused Accurso of participating in an elaborate system of corruption and collusion in the awarding of public contracts in Laval.
Rougueau said it happened over a long period, from 1996 to 2010.
He said former mayor Gilles Vaillancourt oversaw an “immense” system of corruption in Laval where he and a few colleagues decided which construction company would get a contract, even before tenders were put out.
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The prosecution said the chosen company would inform competitors they had won the bid in the hopes of enticing them to submit bids that were slightly higher.
City officials would then receive kickbacks.
Rougeau says Accurso’s companies participated in the fraudulent scheme, which he called surprisingly simple and perfectly executed.
He said taxpayers ultimately paid the price.
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Accurso was charged in 2013 as part of a vast operation called Operation Honorer that saw 37 people arrested in a crackdown in Laval.
Since then, most of those accused have plead guilty or had charges thrown out.
The prosecution says they have key witnesses on their side, including former co-conspirators and high ranking officials from Laval.
The first witness to take the stand Thursday was former Sintra Construction boss Gilles Theberge.
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He explained how the fraudulent system worked in Laval and how companies helped protect each other.
Superior Court Justice James Brunton told the jury Accurso does not have to testify, and that he should not be tainted just because others have plead guilty.
He did warn the jury, though, that the trial would be a marathon and it could last until at least January.