Quebec premier says Montreal mayor should resign

Quebec Premier Pauline Marois says Montreal Mayor Michael Applebaum shouldstep downfollowing his arrest this morning.

"He does not have a choice, he should resign," said Marois at a news conference."No members of my government had a choice about this support for Mr. Applebaum. We didnt know he could have problems with the law."

Applebaum faces 14 criminal charges, including fraud against the government, breach of trust, conspiracy and municipal corruption, the provincial anti-corruption unit UPAC announced.

Marois saidshe does not believe the City of Montreal should be placed under trusteeship becauseApplebaum is the onlymember of municipal council facing charges.

"I don't think we should be discrediting every politician who is acting in good faith," said Marois.

The provincial minister responsible for Montreal, Jean-Franois Lise, said city council should select an interim mayor to serve until the next municipal election, to be heldin November.

Applebaumleft provincial police headquarters in a taxi without commenting to the mediaMonday afternoon,10 hours after his arrest on 14 charges, including fraud.

The list of charges against Applebaum was made public at a news conference several hours afterthe mayor and two other people were arrested.

UPAC said the charges relate to obtaining permission and political support for two real estate projects inMontreal's Cte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grceboroughbetween 2006and 2011.

"No one is above the law and you can't hide from the law," said Robert Lafrenire, head of UPAC.

Lafrenire said he will not provide additional information about the real estatetransactions because it could jeopardize ongoing investigations.

Radio-Canada investigative reporter Alain Gravel said the mayor was takenfrom his home at 6 a.m.ET.

Images aired on the station show the mayor being taken to provincial police headquarterson Parthenais street early this morning in an unmarked white car.

Vowed to fight corruption

In November,Applebaum was sworn in as Montreal's 42nd mayor, vowing to combat corruption at city hall,replacing Grald Tremblay, who resigned amid allegations ofcorruption.

In May,UPAC conducted a series of raids, including one at the Cte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grce borough offices where Applebaum previously sat as borough mayor.

At the time, officials said the unit did not contact Applebaum as a part of the investigation.

Two otherswith previous ties to the borough of Cte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grce were also arrestedMonday morning. They are:

• Jean-Yves Bisson, formerborough manager. He faces four charges, including breach of trust, fraud against the government and receiving illegal commissions.

• Saulie Zajdel, former city councillor and former Conservative candidate in the last federal election in the Montreal riding of Mount Royal. Hefaces five charges, including breach of trust, fraud against the government, municipal corruption and receiving illegal commissions.

Zajdel was hired by the Conservative government as an adviser to Heritage Minister James Moore following his defeat in the 2011 election, but left the job with little explanation in the spring of 2012.

'No one is above the law and you can't hide from the law.' Robert Lafrenire, head of UPAC

• 'Shadow MP' Saulie Zajdel arrested in corruption probe

In the wake of the arrests, the Conservative government sent an emailedstatement to The Canadian Press, saying, "Our government firmly believes that anyone proven to be involved in corruption in Quebec will have to face the consequences."

Call for trusteeship

Stphane Le Bouyonnec, the provincial Coalition Avenir du Qubec partys critic responsible for Montreal affairs, said Applebaum should resign and believes the province must take control of the city.

"Quebec has to act with resolve and put Montreal into trusteeship," said Le Bouyonnec. "When there's a [raid] like that the mayor has to resign."

Le Bouyonnec said he is not in favour of letting Montreal politicians run the city. He recommends either taking requests from management companieslikewhatrecentlyhappened in Lavalor "an official law from the Quebec parliament," that appoints someone to manage the city until the next elections in November.

City hall reacts

Some municipal politicians expressed shock at the news of Applebaum's arrest. Westmount Mayor Peter Trent said he had hoped Applebaum would be a goodreplacement mayor.

"Once again it means there's a huge amount of work to be done to rebuild not just the city of Montreal, but the whole area of Montreal. The whole municipal field is really in turmoil," said Trent.

City Coun.Marvin Rotrand toldQuebec's call-in programRadio Noon thathe believes the mayor is innocent, but said thearrest will likely end his political career.

"I'm in total shock. I have known Michael Applebaum for a long time and as far as I know, he's honest andhard working. I have never seen a politician who has served his citizens as well," said Rotrand.

Several municipal politicians are calling for Applebaum to step down as well as the province. They includeSaint-Laurent borough Mayor Alan DeSousa,who spoke toCBC Montreal's morning radioshow, Daybreak.

"I don't think the City of Montreal can absorb the body blow of having a mayor who's been arrested and having that person continue," he said.

DeSousa emphasized "there is a presumption of innocence," but went on to say the City of Montreal is governed by "confidence of the Quebec government, the confidence of Montrealers, the confidence of the bond-rating agencies andthe business community."

Ahuntsic-Cartierville cityCoun. Jocelyn Ann Campbell and Vision Montreal leader Louise Harel also called for Applebaum's resignation.

Harel held a press conference at Montreal's city hallfollowing the arrests to say she does not want the city to be placed under provincial trusteeship. She said an interim mayor should be chosen by city council.

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