Standing Before Injustice: Normandu settles accounts with Lafrenier in his book

Nathalie Normando stormed the UPAC and shot former commissioner Robert Lafrenier with red bullets, calling him “more powerful than the government” and ordering his arrest for the sole purpose of working again.

In a book to be published on Wednesday, the former deputy prime minister immersed himself in the “journey of justice” that marked the last five years of his life. Throughout her search, Natalie Normandu tries to understand why March 17, 2016 – Provincial Budget Day – and was arrested for conspiracy, corruption, fraud and breach of trust.

His observation was clear: “I was arrested for allowing a man to establish his authority with his organization. Should be restored. This man is Robert Lafrenier, ”Nathalie Normandu started out straight in an interview Newspaper.

At the age of 53, Nathalie Normandu today described herself as “a police and legal victim”, “having more personal interest than her appointment” for the benefit of a man greedy for power.

“I was arrested unilaterally without any evidence to support the allegations against me. It was horrible. It’s a scandal !, she denied.

• Listen at the very beginning The Lizzie – Mulcair Encounter At Richard Martino’s microphone on QUB Radio:

Political police

In Facing injustice, The former number one of the UPAC, has created an “atmosphere of fear” in the National Assembly, she retained, to “impose its authority” and achieve its ends.

“He creates a balance of power that gives him free control. This way of intimidating, selling and destabilizing government power is unprecedented in the history of Quebec,” she said, noting that the UPAC had become a “political police” under the leadership of Robert Lafrenier.

Ovalet and Hamad accused her former commissioner of using “the same tactics” against other elected officials. She recalled the “illegal arrest” of MP Guy Yellet, as well as the suspicion that had arisen in the then Treasury Board President Sam Hamad through investigation reports.

“This is a fitting scene for Hollywood! What world do we live in? It looks like the Republic of Bananas!”, She responds. And not the other way around, ”she analyzes.

Robert Lafrenier abruptly left UPAC on the 1st^Is October 2018, election day for the CAQ government. He said he was “tired”. “I think he made it big Shakti Yatra And at one point, he hit his wall, ”M said^{To me} Normandu suspects that Robert Lafrenier chose “resignation” over “shame.”

Improvement at DPCP

Natalie Normandu also condemned the “improvement” shown by the Crown in her case. “The DPCP made the allegations knowing full well that there was no evidence to support my allegations,” she pleaded.

“And in order not to lose face, they continued to believe in the story,” she adds. They insisted until the end and signed. At this point, this is no longer a story of justice. We have reached the point of abuse of process, ego wars. That is painful. “

The former minister of Pursuit still feeds anger, resentment and rebellion over his story. Although the writing process was liberating, she wanted to “share and express the anger that lived in her”. “Because if UPAC and DPCP could do that with me, imagine what they could do with a normal citizen,” she said.

Nathalie Normandu is still considering whether to file a possible lawsuit against the government if she believes she deserves “compensation” for the “many bias she has experienced”. The idea of ​​going back to civilian legal action this time around makes it “ambiguous”.

I. The Nathalie Normandu case was adjourned until September 25, 2020 for an unreasonable delay. She was acquitted of all charges against her.

UPAC “found a story”

Natalie Normandu accused UPAC investigators of not knowing how the government works and that “they invented the story of the believers”, saying she had “nothing to be ashamed of”.

In her book, which will be published on Wednesday, former Deputy Prime Minister Nathalie Normandu lifted the mask for the first time on some of the evidence that led to the indictment against her in 2016.

The UPAC alleges that in exchange for political funding he illegally increased seven grants to the municipalities of Gazpacho, Charlevoix and Îles-de-la-Madeleine. Financial assistance for the repair of the Boise Bryand Sewage Treatment Plant is also under consideration by the researchers.

In lieu of subsidies granted by researchers and the DPCP, the Roche organization involved in infrastructure or investment projects – the Liberal Party – illegally contributed to the election fund.

“In the evidence, I was portrayed as the head of a vast network of illicit political financing. This policy of explaining facts has nothing to do with reality,” she wrote.

In the appendix, it explains in 38 pages what led to the granting of these investments. Upon reading these items, we understood that ministry employees did not agree with this subsidy increase. Nathalie Normandu keeps saying it’s the right thing to do.

“When an official makes a recommendation, the UPAC investigators agree that the minister has the responsibility to comply with it. No! The minister can challenge the recommendation, make another decision without violating the law or by questioning his morals,” she retorted.

However, she agreed that the decision to increase the subsidy “should be explained to ministry officials.” “We have to put a note in every file to justify what happened. If I could get admission, it would be the same. But there is no violated law,” she repeated.

Her truth Nathalie Normandu told her truth today, failed at trial. She knew that her version would never be tested in court and that doubts would remain. “There are people who are always suspicious of me. And this is one of the tragedies in my story: I’m going to live with accusations my whole life.”

In his book, the former minister did not record the facts of the allegations against the former co-accused. When questioned on the matter, she confines herself to insisting that her Chief of Staff Bruno Larty did not commit acts of a criminal nature.

Some excerpts from the book

“Robert Lafrenier wants to establish his authority as UPAC head permanently. He has the power and he wants to keep it. Arresting me on budget day and arresting six people is nothing but a plot devised by senior officials in the organization.”

“I realized that my story was beyond me, it had become bigger than life. It had nothing to do with justice, but with the greed and ambition of a man who believed in himself more strongly than his organization, more powerful than the government and the 125 representatives of the National Assembly.” It’s hard to stand still in the face of thought, there is the potential for an unforgivable influx of our organizations. The people have a right to know the real reasons that prompted the police and the DPCP to arrest me. “

“At the DPCP, we like to succumb to pressure from the UPAC. We do not take offense as there is no evidence to blame me.”

“By authorizing these files I have not committed any criminal act, but they have significantly improved the daily lives of thousands of citizens and restored the confidence of communities in the future. I can defend all these decisions in any court of law.”

“I always respect the work of ministry employees, but I know that some UPAC researchers have provided an arbitrary version of reality.”

I. Under spinning Police woman

Nathalie Normandy was involved in police surveillance operations between February and February 2013, followed by February and March 2016. Sleeves also have access to her telephone records, her accounts and her credit file. These steps give no result, she writes.

Following his arrest, the UPAC and DPCP were also said to have gained powers to carry out wire tapping and surveillance on him between October and December 2016, but these activities were not carried out.

I. “A goat Messiah ”

The former Liberal deputy prime minister has the concept of a “scapegoat” who is “the man who paid for PLQ”. “I am a person responsible for political financing and this party seems to be resting on my shoulders,” she denied.

She said she had never digested the attitude of Philip Coulard, who was prime minister at the time of his arrest. “Instead of showing empathy, he quickly walked away.”

Just as her radio show was boycotted on blvd.fm by 125 deputies of the National Assembly, this attitude hurt her deeply when she was still facing criminal charges.

I. Lino roses

In the Boise Bryand case, UPAC investigators believed that 40 roses sent by Lino Zambito in 2008 as well as tickets offered for the Celine Dion show were attempts at corruption and could therefore be indicted.

“The problem with this assumption is that‘ these gifts ’were given almost a year after the grant was confirmed,” she writes.

I. Key documents

Nathalie Normandu herself submitted two papers to the Crown. The latter, she explains, demonstrated that her use of discretionary power was legal and could improve controversial subsidies. “They expelled me, there was no other way to tell,” she said.

According to her, these two documents will require the Crown to withdraw, in August 2019, five of the eight charges against her.