Michael Applebaum, Montreal’s first Jewish mayor, is facing a maximum five-year prison term after he was found guilty of corruption-related charges Jan. 26, almost four years after his arrest.
Quebec Court Judge Louise Provost ruled that Applebaum, who served as interim mayor from November 2012 to June 2013, was guilty of eight of 14 counts, including fraud against the government, breach of trust, conspiracy and corruption.
Sentencing arguments are scheduled for Feb. 15. He has not indicated whether he will appeal.
Two other charges were acquitted and four were stayed.
The ruling was delayed for some minutes after Applebaum, 53, became faint about 1-1/2 hours into the reading of the judgment.
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Applebaum was accused of extorting about $30,000 to $35,000 from businessmen Robert Stein and Anthony Keeler, and $25,000 from the engineering firm SOGEP while he was mayor of the borough of Côte des Neiges-Notre Dame de Grâce between 2007 and 2012.
The bribes were demanded in exchange for favourable decisions on real estate development projects.
A key prosecution witness during Applebaum’s trial over 10 days in November was his former chief of staff, Hugo Tremblay, who co-operated with the police investigation, including wearing a wire. Tremblay told of acting as the intermediary for the collection of the cash kickbacks.
Applebaum chose not to testify, and the defence called no witnesses.
Applebaum, who was first elected to Montreal city council in 1994, became interim mayor in November 2012, after Gérald Tremblay resigned following damning testimony concerning his administration during the Charbonneau commission of inquiry into corruption in the Quebec construction industry. Applebaum was also the first anglophone mayor in a century.
Applebaum, who was chosen by a city council vote, had been the second-most powerful figure at city hall, serving as chair of the executive committee, a position that put him in charge of Montreal’s $4.2-million budget. He was only the second Jew to hold that post, after the late Michael Fainstat.
He vowed to clean up city hall, and run a transparent administration. Indeed, Applebaum had been regarded as an able administrator and fiscally prudent.
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His ascent to the highest municipal office was greeted with pride by the Jewish community. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs called it historic. His fall from grace came as a shock.
Applebaum, who has a strong Jewish identification and has been openly supportive of Israel, was sworn in wearing a kippah.
The father of three was arrested in a dramatic early-morning raid at his home in June 2013 by the provincial anti-corruption unit, UPAC. He maintained his innocence of all charges and twice tried to have the case against him dismissed because of the delay in going to trial.
Former Côte des Neiges-Notre Dame de Grâce councillor Saulie Zajdel was arrested on the same day and later pleaded guilty to breach of trust and corruption for asking Stein for a bribe in order to get a demolition permit for a real estate project. In May 2015, Zajdel received an 18-month suspended sentence and a $10,000 fine, among other sanctions.
Before entering politics, Applebaum was a small business owner, having worked since his teens in the family shoe store and later opening his own businesses. In more recent years, he worked as a real estate agent. Critics had questioned his qualifications for the posts he held due to his lack of a university education or profession, but he was tapped for increasingly responsible duties after Tremblay’s first election as mayor in 2002.
Applebaum became mayor of Côte des Neiges-Notre Dame de Grâce, the borough with the largest population, in 2005.
He told The CJN in 2011 that he was proud of being Jewish and that it had never been an issue in his public life. Although not especially religious, he said Jewish values, such as being a good family man, working hard, volunteering and performing mitzvot, have guided him.
Applebaum continued to have his defenders, skeptical that the charges would stick. Michael Shafter, a regular attendee at city council meetings, said Applebaum served his borough well, especially in realizing affordable housing, and had hoped Applebaum would run again for office after being exonerated.
