Michael Applebaum's preliminary hearing begins Monday
Michael Applebaum's lawyer says guilty pleas in recent weeks from two men arrested the same day as his client will not deter Applebaum from fighting the charges against him.
Applebaum, the former mayor of Montreal, is facing 14 charges including fraud, conspiracy and breach of trust.
His preliminary hearing is set to start Monday.
The charges are tied to real estate deals that happened while Applebaum was borough mayor of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce from 2002 to 2012.
On Tuesday, former borough councillor Saulie Zajdel — who was arrested the same day as Applebaum in June 2013 — pleaded guilty to charges of breach of trust and corruption.
Last week, the former director of permits for the borough, Jean-Yves Bisson, also picked up the same day as Applebaum and Zajdel, pleaded guilty to fraud.
In an email to CBC late Thursday, Applebaum's lawyer Pierre Teasdale said the guilty pleas of Zajdel and Bisson would have no effect on his client's trial.
"Not only will Mr. Applebaum maintain his plea of not-guilty, but he will vigorously defend himself against the charges he is facing and insist upon bringing the case to trial as soon as possible," Teasdale said in the email.
"The conclusion of the files of Mr. Bisson and Mr. Zajdel have nothing to do with my client's case and we are totally indifferent to them," Teasdale said.
