‘You’re not here to sell your political career’: Judge to former mayor Tremblay at corruption trial

Former Montreal mayor Gerald Tremblay was back on the stand today, testifying in the alleged corruption trial of his former right-hand man, Frank Zampino.

Zampino is one of five people accused of setting up a scheme to illegally fund Tremblay’s political party, Union Montreal.

Tremblay appeared in good spirits, smiling despite facing questions about alleged collusion and corruption for a second day.

The former mayor maintains he had little knowledge of the scandal that toppled his administration.

“I’m not a martyr, far from it. It’s collateral damage,” Tremblay told reporters in French. “If someone had told me the things I learned later, perhaps we could have acted differently.”

During his testimony, Tremblay seemed to have trouble staying on track, going on tangents while responding to the prosecution’s questions.

Too many times to count, the judge called him to order, at one point saying, “You’re not here to sell your political career.”

Tremblay listed international organizations he was invited to join, spoke about his time as a provincial minister and commented on the reputations of Quebec’s engineering firms, straying from the subject at hand: what he knew about the bid-rigging scheme allegedly put in place to fund his political party, Union Montreal.

Zampino, the former head of the city’s executive committee, and four others are facing charges of conspiracy, fraud and breach of trust.

According to the prosecution, the accused allowed engineering firms to pay up to $200,000 to bid on public contracts between 2004 and 2009. The Crown alleges those firms then paid an additional three per cent in royalties to Union Montreal’s campaign coffers.

Tremblay insists that money never reached the party’s pockets.

“We didn’t need that money,” he said. “Where is the three per cent? There are people who paid the price of this allegation.”

The trial continues tomorrow with more key witnesses expected to take the stand.