Tony Accurso has been under bankruptcy protection since June. He offers to pay 2 million as part of a larger settlement that includes his previous deals. Key asset on his balance sheet: a $1 million wine collection.
Posted at 5:00 am
Hugo Joncas La Presse
In total, the governments, the City of Montreal and the City of Laval are demanding $107 million from the former construction magnate and his former company, Simard-Beaudry Construction Inc.
This is indicated by documents from the bankruptcy office on the procedure that went unnoticed last summer.
Accurso’s bankruptcy law proposal is far from a complete picture of the situation, says Jean Gagnon, Raymond Chabot’s filing trustee. “It can’t be viewed in a vacuum,” he said. It is presented in an overall plan, which also includes regulations for its companies. »
Jean Gagnon is also a controller in the cases against Simard-Beaudry and Constructions Louisbourg ltée, Accurso’s construction companies that have earned hundreds of millions in public contracts over the years.
Louisbourg went bankrupt and Simard-Beaudry placed itself under the protection of the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act.
“Tens of millions more will come from the Simard-Beaudry settlement,” explains Jean Gagnon.
The trustee says it is in negotiations to finalize the company’s plan of settlement. The aim is to complete the proceedings simultaneously for Simard-Beaudry and Accurso’s private assets.
four years in prison
The fallen entrepreneur was sentenced to four years in prison for his role in a huge corruption scheme in Laval. He is appealing this decision to the Supreme Court and a judge has approved his release as he poses no threat to society.
Over the years, Quebec, Ottawa, the City of Montreal and the City of Laval have also filed lawsuits to recover funds allegedly embezzled through corruption and tax evasion.
According to the trustee’s records, the shares in his construction companies are no longer worth anything. His buildings, two houses in Deux-Montagnes with a combined value of almost 8 million, are already mortgaged in favor of the cities of Montreal and Laval.
Accurso is still offering 2 million to its creditors. In the assets column are Wines for $1 million and $395,000 for Movables and Collectibles.
threats to the family
Threats against Accurso and his family have followed since the summer.
During the night from Monday to Tuesday, her daughter’s house in Deux-Montagnes burned down completely.
In July, a vehicle outside his son’s home in the same parish was the subject of an arson attack. Next door, a house near Accurso was the target of gunfire in August. The controversial entrepreneur then joined La Presse to ensure he had nothing to do with these acts. But two days later, more shots reached her son’s home.