Montreal city hall locked down for police raids; 15 raids conducted in city
MONTREAL - Montreal's city hall has been locked down and is being swept by police in one of numerous raids being conducted across the city.
The province's anti-corruption squad says it is conducting nine raids at city hall, and six other ones in different borough buildings.
These latest raids in Quebec are part of a two-year-old investigation related to fraud, breach of trust, and falsified documents. A number of arrests have already been made in connection with construction corruption, which is also the subject of an ongoing public inquiry.
One municipal politician described the scene inside city hall.
Richard Bergeron, leader of the Projet Montreal party, said he was supposed to have a meeting with the mayor at 4:15 p.m. But suddenly a voice on the loudspeaker ordered everyone to leave the building.
As police officers moved in, city officials moved out. Employees received an email that the building was closed until further notice, and city hall was locked down.
While no arrests are expected today, more than 20 witnesses are scheduled to meet with investigators.
More than 125 police officers are participating in the raids.
