Former Montreal ad man Jean Lafleur has been sentenced to 42 months in prison for his role in the federal sponsorship scandal.

Quebec Court Judge Suzanne Coupal handed down the sentencing on Wednesday, also ordering the former advertising executive to pay back some $1.6 million he defrauded from the sponsorship program.

Jean Lafleur, former owner of Lafleur Communication and Marketing, testifies at the Gomery inquiry in 2005. He pleaded guilty to 28 charges of fraud and pocketing $1.5 million in taxpayers' dollars.
(Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)

Lafleur is one of the key figures in the federal sponsorship scandal that rocked Quebec and the Liberal Party.

His advertising company made $65 million from government business from 1995 to 2003, during which time he and several family members collected nearly $12 million in salaries and bonuses.

He eventually pleaded guilty to 28 charges of fraud and pocketing $1.5 million in taxpayers' dollars.

Lafleur's sentence is the stiffest to date in all the criminal cases related to the sponsorship scandal, but fitting, given his case, Coupal said.

Lafleur made no offer at any point to reimburse the money he skimmed from the program, never showed any remorse and didn't make any offer to perform community service as part of his sentence, she said.

Crown prosecutor Anne-Mary Beauchemin said Wednesday's sentence sends a strong message.

"He did make a lot of money out of this so I think it's only fair that he was told, and other people were told today, that crime doesn't pay."

During a public inquiry into the sponsorship scandal, Justice John Gomery often showed his frustration with testimony from Lafleur, who became famous for his inability to remember much about his dealings with several prominent Liberal Party members.

"It was obvious the commission was hearing a witness who was prepared to appear to be slow-witted, rather than to give truthful answers," Gomery's report said about Lafleur.

Lived high life in Belize

By the time police laid charges, Lafleur had disappeared. He eventually showed up in Belize, where he was living in an exclusive villa and had a reputation for enjoying fine wine.
 
In April, Lafleur flew back to Montreal and was arrested at the airport.

The prosecution had sought five years for Lafleur. He'll be eligible for parole after serving one-sixth of his sentence.