Ex-federal Liberal party organizer Jacques Corriveau, who was eventually convicted after being described by a judge as a central figure in the sponsorship scandal, has died at the age of 85.
His lawyer Gerald Souliere said Friday Corriveau died June 23 and that his funeral was held July 14.
READ MORE: Jacques Corriveau gets four-year prison term for sponsorship fraud
A jury found Corriveau guilty in 2016 of fraud against the government, forgery and laundering the proceeds of crime in connection with the sponsorship scandal.
He was handed a four-year prison term in January 2017 and fined $1.4 million.
READ MORE: Crown asks for prison time for Jacques Corriveau, ex-Liberal organizer convicted of fraud
Corriveau was freed pending an appeal.
The sponsorship program was created after the 1995 sovereignty referendum to boost the federal government’s presence in Quebec.
A judge who headed a public inquiry into the scandal described Corriveau — who worked on ex-prime minister Jean Chretien’s leadership campaigns — as a central figure in the program.
READ MORE: Jacques Corriveau found guilty on 3 fraud-related charges over sponsorship scandal
The Crown alleged Corriveau set up a kickback scheme on contracts awarded for the sponsorship program and used his design company to defraud the federal government between 1997 and 2003.
Souliere said his appeal is no longer applicable because of Corriveau’s death.
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