Crown seeks 5 years for ex-Liberal organizer convicted in sponsorship fraud
MONTREAL — Ex-Liberal party organizer Jacques Corriveau should spend up to five years in prison following his conviction on fraud-related charges in connection with the sponsorship program, the Crown suggested on Monday.
Corriveau deserves an exemplary sentence, not just for stealing, but for increasing the public’s distrust in government, prosecutors Jacques Dagenais and Claude Girard told the court.
A jury found Corriveau, 83, guilty of fraud against the government, forgery and laundering proceeds of crime between 1997 and 2003 during what became known as the sponsorship scandal that helped take down the Liberal government in 2006.
“The damages aren’t just about taking public money,” Dagenais said during sentencing arguments. “The impact of the sponsorship scandal increased the cynicism and mistrust of the public towards elected officials.”