Anti-corruption raid in Quebec banks; reports say Laval mayor targeted

LAVAL, Que. – Police are conducting their latest anti-corruption raids in Quebec and, according to various media reports, they’re targeting the mayor of Laval again.

A spokeswoman for the provincial anti-corruption unit says raids have been conducted at different financial institutions.

But she won’t discuss reports that the targets are safety-deposit boxes linked to Gilles Vaillancourt, the powerful Montreal-area suburban mayor.

Police have already raided two of Vaillancourt’s residences and his offices at city hall.

The mayor has run Laval, Quebec’s third-largest city, for more than two decades with very little political opposition.

He has been hit with allegations of bribery in recent years — but he has angrily denied them.