Marois’s husband solicited $25,000 before her 2007 leadership bid: Radio-Canada

MONTREAL – Radio-Canada is reporting that Parti Quebecois Leader Pauline Marois’s husband solicited $25,000 from an engineering executive just before she ran successfully for the party leadership in 2007.

The network is quoting the executive as saying in a signed affidavit that Claude Blanchet approached him and asked for the money.

The executive says the various cheques that made up the amount were for up to $3,000, which at the time was the maximum individual contribution in the PQ leadership race.

Radio-Canada said the man wrote in the affidavit that he received the cheques from his firm and gave them in an envelope to Blanchet because he wanted to have access to Marois.

Marois reacted shortly after the report was broadcast today and denied the allegations.

She said she, her husband and the PQ have always respected the law on the financing of parties.

Blanchet denied in the Radio-Canada report he solicited the $25,000.