Nelson Sergerie
CHANDLER – The Quebec Municipal Commission has initiated legal action in the Superior Court, seeking a declaration of provisional incapacity against Chandler councillor, Bruno-Pierre Godbout, who is the Newport Ward councillor, and serving as the pro-mayor of Chandler as well.
Mr. Godbout voluntarily complied with the request and has since tendered his resignation.
The Commission points out that the administrative investigation against the elected official is complete, leading to the filing of the petition. The case is scheduled to be heard on April 4 at the Percé Courthouse.
On January 17, Mr. Godbout was charged with fraud, forgery and use, possession or trafficking of a document. The request for a declaration of provisional incapacity stemmed from these charges. The accused is set to appear at the Percé Courthouse to address these criminal charges on April 22.
The Permanent Anti-Corruption Unit (UPAC) emphasized that its investigation revealed that between February 1 and July 31, 2021, while acting as pro-mayor during the Quebec Municipal Commission’s suspension of former mayor, Louisette Langlois, Mr. Godbout produced and used false expense reimbursement requests.
UPAC estimated the fraudulent amount to be approximately $10,000.
In the court document, the municipal commission states that jurisprudence establishes the burden to be met for such a request to be filed, namely serious reproaches if prima facie evidence shows that these acts appear to have been committed, and if the public interest justifies temporarily relieving the elected official concerned by determining the link between the reproached acts and the performance of his duties and the extent to which these acts bring the administration of the municipality into disrepute.
The petition states that for the fraud charge, the maximum penalty is 14 years in prison, while the production of a false document carries a maximum penalty of 10 years and the same for the forgery of a document.
The Commission notes that the elected official faces charges punishable by two years of imprisonment or more, which gives the power to the Superior Court to provisionally declare Mr. Godbout incapable of exercising any function related to his office as a member of the municipal council, based on Section 305.1 of the Act respecting elections and referendums in municipalities.
Since Mr. Godbout filed an act of acquiescence to the request signed on February 19, the Municipal Commission requests that he be declared temporarily incapable of exercising the function of member of the council of any municipality in Quebec, i.e. until a stay of the proceedings, acquittal or the end of his term.
The mayor and councillors were informed of the discussions between the Quebec Municipal Commission and the councillor.
“Mr. Godbout was very transparent,” stated the mayor of Chandler, Gilles Daraîche. “The Municipal Commission presented him with three scenarios. He chose the scenario of resigning during the proceedings. He could have chosen scenario two or three and it would have cost the town much more, as in a trial that we know about, but he chose the scenario which will cost much less for the Town of Chandler,” adds the mayor.
Mr. Daraîche is indirectly referring to the legal saga involving the former mayor of Chandler, Louisette Langlois, whose legal expenses exceed $350,000.