MONTREAL β The Montreal area has seen a few mayors resign lately in scandals over money: one quit amid allegations of illegal party financing, another was arrested and charged with fraud, and one was even charged with gangsterism. This was just six hours after Duplessis told reporters he would not resign after a controversy allegedly involving extortion and a prostitute. There was an attempt to extort me.
But political rivals had spent the day urging him to step down. And media were scrutinizing the denial from Duplessis, a father of two, that he had ever solicited sex. One TV network carried two on-air interviews with a woman claiming to own the escort agency involved. The woman said there were dozens of cellphone text messages from the client. She said the man had requested an escort for his remote country cottage.
The owner said she was dragged into the dispute, and spoke to the man by phone. The owner said she later spoke to provincial police and showed them the text messages, and said that only then did police inform her that the customer was the mayor of Laval. She told TVA that the police confirmed his identity through the cellphone number, and through other means but did not elaborate.
The network said there were text messages and showed some of them on-screen. Initial details about the alleged encounter appeared in a TVA report Thursday.
Both spokesman said they could not help reach β or provide contact information β for the departed mayor. A new interim mayor will be chosen from the remaining group of city councillors.
