The crimes occurred between 1997 and 2003, and were related to what became known as the sponsorship scandal, which eventually helped bring down the Liberal government in 2006.<\/p>\n
Corriveau, who worked on former prime minister Jean Chr\u00e9tien’s Liberal leadership campaigns and was close to him, was accused of pocketing roughly $7 million in kickbacks tied to sponsorship contracts given to Liberal-friendly companies.<\/p>\n
![\"Chretien\/Corriveau](\"http:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/RSSPoster_PRO\/cache\/43cc2_chretien-corriveau-composite.jpg\")
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The Gomery report detailed the existence of an “elaborate kickback scheme” masterminded by Corriveau, a close friend of Jean Chr\u00e9tien. (Canadian Press\/CBC)<\/p>\n
The sponsorship program was created after the 1995 sovereignty referendum to increase the federal government’s presence in Quebec.<\/p>\n
Ottawa’s inquiry into the program found that firms were winning contracts based on donations to the federal Liberals, with little work being done.<\/p>\n
The judge who headed the commission into the sponsorship scandal described\u00a0Corriveau\u00a0in his report about 10 years ago as the “central figure” in the kickback scheme.<\/p>\n
Bank account seized<\/h2>\n
Prosecutors had\u00a0suggested Corriveau\u00a0serve between three and five years behind bars, while the defence had\u00a0countered with a sentence in the community, citing his age and the lengthy delay in his case getting to trial.<\/p>\n
Corriveau\u00a0was charged in December 2013 following an 11-year investigation. His trial began last September.<\/p>\n