By Canadian Press

New head of Quebec anti-corruption police admits to ‘failure,’ vows to do better

Nov 13, 2019 | 1:20 PM

QUEBEC — The new head of Quebec’s anti-corruption police is seeking to assure the public that problems involving his force are in the past and trust can be rebuilt in his embattled institution.

Frederick Gaudreau, recently appointed by the legislature to a seven-year term, said today there is still enough fraud and corruption in Quebec to justify the continued existence of his squad, known as UPAC.

UPAC has been criticized for not building cases leading to successful prosecutions, and a government report this year found it lacked officers with the necessary skills to conduct complex investigations into financial crimes.

Gaudreau acknowledged today that his recent decision to close a lengthy investigation into ex-Liberal party fundraisers alleged to have pocketed millions in kickbacks over real estate deals can be seen as a failure.

Gaudreau says the investigation techniques used by the force under his predecessor were of questionable quality and would not have led to convictions in the case.

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But the UPAC head says he will make sure future investigations are properly conducted and that details of sensitive cases will no longer be leaked to reporters.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2019.

The Canadian Press