Trial of ex-economic development executive hears from alleged victims

Shane Magee · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 23, 2025 2:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

A bluish New Brunswick businessman wiped distant tears portion testifying astir sending his son's decease payment funds to Daniel Bard, believing it would go a portion of a larger loan, wealth that ne'er arrived. 

"The affectional toll has been unreal," Luc Bernard testified Wednesday, the 2nd time of Bard's proceedings successful Moncton provincial court. 

Bard is being tried on 19 charges that include possession of spot obtained by crime, fraud, theft and wealth laundering. The alleged offences screen a play betwixt 2016 and 2020. 

Bard was vice-president of concern attraction for 3+ Corp., a municipally funded concern improvement bureau for the Moncton region, betwixt 2016 and 2018.

Two charges subordinate to a institution Bernard co-owned with his woman and brother-in-law, a holding institution called HIL Group Inc., based successful Charlo, adjacent Campbellton.

Money was for joint-partnership project

Bernard testified he'd known Bard about 25 years. Around 2015, helium said Bard presented HIL Group with a program that involved paying Bard a deposit to secure a multimillion-dollar indebtedness to put successful a business task that progressive a Spanish company.

Bernard's concern spouse and brother-in-law, Hervé Auclair, testified the program was a associated concern with the Spanish steadfast to usage its exertion to crook sewage sludge into pellets that could beryllium burned. 

Auclair testified astir discussions with TransAqua to trial the exertion astatine its wastewater attraction works successful Riverview.

Bernard said Bard initially proposed an $80-million loan, but Bernard testified they lone needed $4 cardinal for the project.

Bard projected what Bernard described arsenic a non-recourse loan, which meant if the concern worked out, the institution would person to repay the loan. If it didn't, the indebtedness wouldn't person to beryllium repaid. 

Bernard testified that Bard asked for an archetypal deposit to facilitate the loan, wealth helium believed would screen things similar ineligible expenses, brokers and money exchanges.

Bernard said helium made an archetypal outgo of $20,000 US to Bard, who past said a larger deposit was required. 

Bernard testified that led to utilizing $80,000 US from his son's decease payment payout. Bernard's 19-year-old lad died successful a enactment mishap successful 2012, which led to a beingness security payment.

"We wanted to bash good," Bernard testified astir utilizing the wealth to facilitate the indebtedness for the concern project.

Crown prosecutor Andrew Pollabauer asked astir the payment they expected would result. 

"To help section families physique amended businesses for section families. That was my goal," Bernard testified. 

Bernard testified the wealth was deposited successful Bard's slope relationship successful precocious summertime 2016 and he was told to expect the indebtedness by Christmas.

However, helium said nothing happened. He said helium asked Bard for updates and was told the wealth was caught up successful an speech successful New York, past helium was told that determination was an contented with the Canadian Revenue Agency, followed by more delays. 

"Basically, I was conscionable fixed the runaround, successful my opinion," Bernard said. "It was delays aft delays aft delays."

Delays crook alarm, witnesser says

Bernard said the statement with Bard was verbal, though they had travelled to Spain with Bard and initially had nary crushed to uncertainty the program was legitimate. 

But helium testified that helium yet mislaid patience with Bard's excuses. He checked with his bank and said what helium was told alarmed him.

"It was bare and closed. That rang a large bell. And that's erstwhile I figured I had to telephone my lawyer," Bernard testified. He sued Bard, but said the archetypal deposit hasn't been repaid.

The prosecutor, adjacent the extremity of questioning, Bernard asked astir the interaction the contented has had connected him. 

Bernard said it led to "a unsmooth fewer years" with a steep affectional toll.

Bernard was cross-examined by Bard's lawyer, James Matheson, who asked whether the outgo to Bard included his interest for arranging the loan.

Bernard said his knowing was it didn't. He said helium assumed Bard would get a outgo somehow, though. 

Auclair's grounds went into much details astir the plan, the fiscal arrangements and substance messages with Bard implicit months arsenic they tried to get updates connected the plan.

The proceedings is scheduled to past six weeks.