Montreal mayor resigns on corruption charges

MONTREAL, Canada – Montreal Mayor Michael Applebaum resigned Tuesday, June 18, one day after his arrest on corruption charges.

Applebaum, 50, said he could not remain mayor while defending himself in court, Canadian news reports said.

He faces 14 criminal counts including fraud against the government, breach of trust, conspiracy and municipal corruption, authorities said.

Applebaum pledged “to prove the accusations against me are unfounded,” he said, according to the BBC, adding, “I have never taken a penny from anyone.”

The charges relate to “tens of thousands of dollars” in alleged bribes over two real estate deals in 2006, when Applebaum was mayor of one of Montreal’s boroughs, said Robert Lafreniere, head of a police anti-corruption unit.

Two other suspects were arrested in the same investigation.

The resignation comes as Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has fended off allegations of illegal drug use.

Applebaum, a former real estate agent, took office in November after Gerald Tremblay, his predecessor as mayor of Canada’s second-largest city, resigned amid corruption allegations.

Applebaum vowed to sever links between the city administration and construction companies suspected of paying millions of dollars to rig public works contracts.

Gilles Vaillancourt, former mayor of another Montreal suburb, was charged in May with fraud and racketeering related to municipal construction contracts.

The interim mayor, who took over from Vaillancourt, and most of the borough’s legislative council were later suspended on suspicion of participating in illegal party financing.

French-speaking Quebec is holding a public inquiry into collusion and corruption in the province’s construction industry. – Rappler.com