Former Montreal mayor Gérald Tremblay described his former right-hand man Frank Zampino as an “exceptional” member of the City of Montreal’s executive committee.
Tremblay took to the witness stand this morning at a trial in which Zampino is facing corruption-related charges. Zampino is among nine people charged in connection with a real estate deal that paved the way for the Faubourg Contrecoeur housing development.
Tremblay resigned as the mayor of Montreal in 2012 after allegations he had turned a blind eye to corruption and electoral misspending by his Union Montreal party.
Zampino is accused of fixing the bidding process to favour construction company Construction Frank Catania & Associates Inc. in 2007. Montreal’s Housing and Development Corporation (SHDM) sold the land for about $4 million, a fraction of the value of what it was assessed for.
Along with nine others, Zampino was arrested in 2012 on charges of fraud, conspiracy and breach of trust.
