Jacques Corriveau trial on charges related to adscam begins
Corriveau likely to be last person charged in relation to scandal that prompted Gomery Commission
A close friend of former prime minister Jean Chrétien will stand trial in Montreal today on charges he orchestrated a kickback scheme in the 1990s as part of the so-called sponsorship scandal.
Jacques Corriveau, a one-time advertising executive and Liberal party organizer, was arrested in 2013. He is accused of fraud, counterfeiting documents and laundering the proceeds of crime.
The allegations against Corriveau are related to activities described during the Gomery Commission, which released its released its final report 11 years ago.
The commission concluded that advertising firms in Quebec were winning contracts based on donations to the federal Liberals, with little work being done.
Corriveau's trial is expected to last about six weeks and the Crown says it will call about 20 witnesses. Proceedings against him were postponed several times since he was charged.
Corriveau is likely to be the last person to be tried in connection with the sponsorship scandal.
A number of advertising figures were found guilty for their role in the scandal, including Jean Brault, Jean Lafleur, Paul Coffin and Gilles-André Gosselin.
A federal bureaucrat, Chuck Guité, was also found guilty of defrauding the federal government of $2 million.
The RCMP says it is not actively pursuing any other investigations related to the scandal.