Anti-corruption police looking into controversy in Quebec Liberal Party

Quebec Liberal leader Pablo Rodriguez says he welcomes the corruption squad (UPAQ) investigation after allegations of wrongdoing.

The crisis rocking the Quebec Liberal Party has now attracted the attention of Quebec’s anti-corruption squad.

The Unité permanente anticorruption (UPAC) confirmed in a statement to CTV News that it is “currently validating information regarding allegations of wrongdoing against the Quebec Liberal Party.”

The statement went on to say that after assessing the information, it will decide whether or not to proceed further with an investigation. UPAC did not provide any further details.

In a post on X, Liberal leader Pablo Rodriguez said he welcomed UPAC’s involvement, saying that he hopes investigators will shed light on the matter, “and, if necessary, file the appropriate charges.”

“I would like to reiterate that I have requested an independent investigation to get to the bottom of this matter. I am committed to making the report public,” the leader added.

“If anyone, anywhere, has committed an illegal or unethical act, the truth must come out, and we will cooperate fully. If any wrongdoing is proven, I will take action. There is no place for that in the PLQ. Zero tolerance. Period.”

On Wednesday afternoon, the Journal de Montréal reported that UPAC investigators visited the home of a “key witness” to gather information. The report came on the same day Rodriguez confirmed that federal Liberal MP Fayçal El-Khoury solicited donations for his leadership campaign.

“He had a solicitation certificate, which is public information. That means he was raising money like a lot of other people,” Rodriguez said Wednesday at a news conference at the National Assembly.

La Presse reported Wednesday morning that the MP for Laval—Les Îles had “insisted” that he had no connection to the PLQ leadership race.

The media outlet also reported that a discussion between El-Khoury and Liberal MNA Marwah Rizqy on Nov. 14 is being investigated by Elections Quebec because of a possible link to Rodriguez’s leadership bid.

The issue began last week when Rizqy fired her chief of staff, Geneviève Hinse — a close associate of Rodriguez — without consulting with. Since then, there have been allegations of misuse of public funds and allegations of money exchanged for supporting Rodriguez in the leadership race.

The Liberal leader then dismissed Rizqy from her position as parliamentary leader and suspended her from the caucus, citing a “breach of trust.”

Last Wednesday, Hinse’s lawyer summoned Rizqy to publicly admit within 24 hours that there were no grounds for her client’s dismissal.

Instead, the Saint-Laurent MNA sent a letter to Hinse stating that she had been dismissed “due to significant ethical breaches” and “repeated acts of insubordination.”

On Sunday, Rizqy wrote on Facebook that she could not comment publicly because it was a human resources matter.

The MNA also said she was “more than aware” that this situation had placed her “political family in a delicate position.”

The Liberal leader said on Tuesday that he still did not know why Rizqy dismissed her chief of staff.

With files from The Canadian Press