Former construction boss Tony Accurso says he did not give a $300,000 bribe to the now-deceased mayor of Mascouche, Richard Marcotte — but rather, gave him "a hand" with what he called a "loan".
Accurso took the stand in his own defence on Monday at his trial on breach of trust charges stemming from municipal contracts involving the city of Mascouche.
He's accused of bribing Marcotte, who died of cancer in 2016, in exchange for contracts.
During his testimony, Accurso denied bringing Marcotte on his yacht, the Touch, as part of an effort to gain an advantage when it came to municipal contracts.
On the stand, Accurso described Marcotte, who he says he's known since 1978, as someone who got things done — in part, because he was close to former premier Jean Charest. Among other things, he says placement of a regional Sûreté du Québec headquarters in Mascouche came about because of Marcotte.