Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre’s 21-year-old son has entered a therapy program while he faces five criminal charges alleging he took part in credit card fraud and obstructing justice.
Alexandre Coderre’s lawyer, Conrad Lord, made the announcement during a brief hearing at the Montreal courthouse on Tuesday. Lord had been expected to announce Coderre’s decision on whether he wished to be tried before a judge alone or before a jury. Instead, Lord asked for that decision to be postponed, because Coderre had just started a therapy program. Lord did not specify the type of therapy Coderre is undergoing.
Lord told Quebec Court Judge Suzanne Costom he wants to see how the therapy goes before he takes a position on how to proceed. Prosecutor Fannie Turcot objected to the delay but the judge agreed to carry the case over to September. The mayor’s son was not required to be present in court on Tuesday.
The charges against Coderre involve events that are alleged to have occurred between January 2015 and December 2016. He is accused of attempting to mislead a police officer in a criminal investigation, fraud against the Bank of Nova Scotia and the Royal Bank of Canada, unauthorized use of credit card data and obstructing justice.
According to an article published in May by La Presse, the investigation began after the mayor filed a complaint to police, believing that his son had become a victim of identity theft. During the Chamberland Commission, Montreal police Chief Philippe Pichet revealed that Coderre had called him directly about the matter and that he simply referred the mayor to someone who was familiar with those type of investigations. Pichet said it was the only time that an elected official had ever contacted him about a personal matter.
