Quebec's anti-corruption unit reveals it's been investigating SAAQclic debacle for months
Investigation started at the end of February, UPAC says
Quebec's anti-corruption unit, known as UPAC, announced on Thursday it has been investigating the chaotic rollout of SAAQclic for more than three months.
The unit had been analyzing the available information surrounding Quebec's automobile insurance board's failed digital shift but would not confirm whether it had initiated an investigation.
The anti-corruption commissioner, who co-ordinates UPAC's operations, confirmed the news of the investigation in a news release Thursday.
Given the "exceptional circumstances" surrounding the issue and after having studied the scathing report by the province's auditor general, the commissioner said the team launched an investigation at the end of February into "possible wrongdoing in the management of the CASA/SAAQclic IT project."
Mathieu Galarneau, spokesperson for the commissioner, indicated in the statement that no further details on the ongoing investigation would be provided.
The rollout of the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ)'s digital platform is also being investigated by the Gallant commission — a public inquiry presided over by Denis Gallant, which began on April 24.
So far, there have been several revelations, including a fourfold increase in the hourly rates of consultants. A former internal auditor at the SAAQ also told the inquiry that several people who won calls for tenders for "strategic resources" had professional ties with Karl Malenfant, the former vice-president of the SAAQ's digital experience and the project director for CASA.
François Geoffrion, who sat on the SAAQ's board of directors from 2013 to 2022, told the commission the board knew that the digital transformation project was "risky" and had "all the flaws."
At the end of May, Jérôme Verreault, a former financial controller at SAAQclic, explained to Gallant and his team that payment delays were "exploding" and the SAAQ even received "notices of termination of services" from its suppliers.
The public inquiry will continue throughout the summer.
Written by Hénia Ould-Hammou, with files from Radio-Canada's Jean-François Thériault