LM Sauv� masonry company briefly fell under the control of a Hells Angels member

Municipal Affairs Minister Laurent Lessard said Thursday he has confidence in J�r�me Unterberg when he was hired.


QUEBEC - Municipal Affairs Minister Laurent Lessard said Thursday he has asked his deputy minister to look into allegations concerning J�r�me Unterberg, the assistant deputy minister responsible for ethics.

"We are taking it seriously," Lessard told reporters.

In his book on Quebec's construction industry, titled L'industrie de la corruption, Paul Sauv� made allegations about Unterberg, now responsible for creating ethics codes for municipalities.

In 1995, according to Sauv�, whose LM Sauv� masonry company briefly fell under the control of a Hells Angels member, he helped Unterberg get financing for his campaign to become mayor of Outremont.

Sauv� said funds were solicited from engineering companies and at least one accounting firm.

In Quebec, only individual voters can contribute to political parties, although there have been allegations that companies illegally refund donations by their employees, to get around the law.

Lessard said he had confidence in Unterberg when he was hired, but is looking into Sauv�'s allegations.