Chuck Guité, the former civil servant who ran the federal sponsorship program, was sentenced Monday to 3½ years in prison for his conviction on fraud charges.
Guité, 62, was convicted on June 6 of defrauding Ottawa of $1.5 million in his handling of five government contracts.
"Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the case was Mr. Guité's studied and persistent lack of remorse," wrote Quebec Superior Court Justice Fraser Martin in the decision handed down on Monday.
Martin said the crime deserved a stiff sentence because it was committed by someone in a position of trust.
The maximum sentence would have been 10 years. Crown prosecutors had sought a sentence of three to four years in prison, while the defence lawyer had recommended a two-year sentence.
Guité will likely serve about one-sixth of the sentence and be out by the end of the year, because it was a non-violent crime, he has no previous criminal record and he is considered a low risk to re-offend.
Or maybe not. Truth in sentencing is such a rare commodity these days. They may just let him out in time to attend the Liberal leadership convention. As keynote speaker, no less.
Source: CBC
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