SAINT-JEROME, Que. -- A former construction entrepreneur and star whistleblower at Quebec's corruption inquiry who pleaded guilty to fraud-related charges learned Tuesday he will avoid jail time and serve a sentence in the community.
Lino Zambito was sentenced to two years less a day by Quebec court Judge Paul Chevalier, who accepted a joint recommendation by the Crown and defence for a community sentence, saying it carried a deterrent, corrective and punitive effect.
Zambito will have to perform 240 hours of community work and will be on probation for three years.
He is known for his testimony in 2012 at the Charbonneau inquiry, where he said construction magnates paid kickbacks to municipal political parties and to members of the Mafia in exchange for public contracts, shedding light on systemic collusion at the municipal level.
Two years less a day is the longest suspended sentence allowed by the Criminal Code.
He pleaded guilty last May to six charges, including fraud, conspiracy and corruption, related to contracts obtained by his firm, Infrabec, from the City of Boisbriand, just north of Montreal.
Zambito was arrested by Quebec's anti-corruption unit in February 2011 at the same time as former Boisbriand mayor Sylvie St-Jean, who pleaded guilty to charges of fraud, conspiracy and breach of trust.
She received a suspended prison sentence.
Defence lawyer Conrad Lord hailed the judge's decision, saying his client contributed to the fight against corruption through his inquiry testimony.
Zambito said he was happy to turn the page after four years in the justice system.
"I'm relieved, it will let me put an end to this case," Zambito said. "I'll serve what I have to serve and as of today, we can put the Boisbriand case behind us and look to the future."
