Witnesses in a Moncton financial crimes case that has been delayed in court for several years provided testimony again on Tuesday, sharing their experiences working alongside the accused fraudster, Daniel Bard. Bard is facing his second trial on 19 charges filed against him in 2022, which include fraud, theft, and money laundering.
The initial trial, which commenced last April, ended in a mistrial two months later due to Bard’s former lawyer withdrawing from the case due to health issues. On Tuesday, the provincial court Judge Anne Richard revisited information about the 3+ Corporation, an economic development agency in Greater Moncton where Bard was employed in 2016, with some charges stemming from his tenure there.
During the first trial, business owners accused Bard of accepting payments for services he never provided and disappearing. Crown prosecutors Christopher Ryan and Andrew Pollabauer opted not to present opening statements for the retrial on Tuesday, instead recalling former associates of Bard to testify.
Former CEO Eric Mourant, who helmed the economic development agency from 2016 to 2018, now believes that Bard committed fraud, despite initially having confidence in him and not conducting background checks. Bard, present in court, took notes during the testimonies. Mourant hired Bard to attract international businesses to the region, but stated that no substantial progress was made.
In cross-examination, Mourant acknowledged the lengthy process of attracting significant investments to Moncton, suggesting it typically takes about 18 months, coinciding with Bard’s tenure at 3+. Another witness, Frédéric Gionet, who worked with Bard at 3+ for 12 years, described Bard as affable but vague in providing progress updates on investment opportunities.
Additionally, a business owner, Luc Bernard, testified that he transferred $80,000 US to Bard, expecting it to be part of a larger loan for a holding company. Bard had proposed securing a multimillion-dollar loan for a project involving a Spanish company. However, Bernard grew skeptical as Bard failed to provide updates on the loan’s progress and discovered that Bard’s account was emptied and closed.
The Crown intends to further examine Bernard on Wednesday, extending the retrial into February.
