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Quebec Liberals say headquarters were raided by anti-corruption investigators

Quebec Liberals say headquarters were raided by anti-corruption investigators

The Quebec political party that launched a sweeping investigation into corruption in the province has been subjected to the scrutiny of its own creation, newly-released information details.

The ongoing probe into impropriety between political parties and the construction industry has taken down mayors, has cast shadows on provincial forces and has seen hundreds arrested corruption charges over the past two years.

Now the Quebec Liberal Party confirms its party headquarters was raided earlier this summer as part of the ongoing investigation.

In a statement released Monday, the party says the investigation has its "full cooperation." The statement adds that the party works with authorities to ensure they comply with all laws.

[ Related: Quebec Liberal HQ raided by anti-corruption unit, party says ]

In a world with Twitter and political insiders, it is a wonder that news of the raid did not come out sooner. Then again, July was a busy time for Quebec corruption.

Former Montreal mayor Michael Applebaum resigned around that time after being arrested in the corruption investigation.

Two other public officials were also targeted by the anti-corruption unit in the same sweep.

Laval interim mayor Alexandre Duplessis also resigned, after serving a short stint after his predecessor was raided by the anti-corruption unit.

[ More Brew: Ugly incident in Quebec mall shows nasty side of values debate ]

The Charbonneau Commission, launched by the former Liberal government, is investigating corruption in the political system.

The Globe and Mail reports news of the raid leaked the same day the Parti Quebecois government attempted to shift attention back to Liberal ethics and away from its plan to ban religious symbols in the public sector.

A recent public opinion poll suggested the Liberals had jumped into the lead amid the PQ's Quebec charter of values controversy. The Liberals had been urging the PQ to call an election over the charter debate.

Now we’ll see if that tune changes at all.