The logo for the Caisse de Depot et placement du Quebec, Quebec's pension fund, is seen Wednesday, February 21, 2018 in Montreal. The Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec has suspended a vice-president of one of its subsidiaries and launched an internal investigation over the alleged ties of her spouse with people related to organized crime.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
February 05, 2019 - 9:47 AM
MONTREAL - The Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec has suspended a vice-president of one of its subsidiaries and launched an internal investigation over the alleged ties of her spouse with people related to organized crime.
Quebec's pension fund manager said in a news release Tuesday that it took allegations "very seriously" about Martine Gaudreault, vice-president real estate financing at Otera Capital.
An internal investigation has been opened and will be conducted by an external lawyer. The findings will be made public at the end of the process.
The steps were taken after Le Journal de Montreal reported that Gaudreault's spouse, Alain Cormier, has done business as a private lender and president of the firm Bancan with two members of the Rizzuto family, including Leonardo, son of the former godfather of the Montreal Mafia Vito Rizzuto.
The daily newspaper also says Gaudreault and Cormier had been involved in three businesses together since 2012, two years after she joined Otera.
Otera Capital is a commercial real estate lender with a total investment portfolio of $12.3 billion as of Dec. 31, 2017 — the latest public data available.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2019