Fraud at Revenu Québec: employee suspected of extorting $30,000

An accountant at Revenu Québec has been dismissed after being accused of extorting $30,000 from an entrepreneur. A criminal investigation is underway in Laval.

Revenu Québec accountant dismissed following extortion allegations

Revenu Québec dismissed Belhassen Chaabani, a chartered accountant assigned to collections, following an internal investigation triggered in August, according to conseiller.ca. The employee is accused of embezzling $30,000 belonging to a taxpayer.

According to La Presse, which obtained testimony from the alleged victim, the relationship between the two men began in 2022 in a café. Chaabani reportedly offered his services as a private accountant, despite his full-time employment with the provincial tax agency.

The entrepreneur, newly arrived in Québec, says he quickly placed trust in the accountant: both men shared the same country of origin and the same mother tongue. He therefore entrusted him with the management of his accounting without hesitation.

In this capacity, the alleged victim reportedly handed over to him sums intended for Revenu Québec — sales tax, source deductions for his employees and CNESST contributions — as well as his access codes to clicSÉQUR, the government portal used to exchange documents with the tax authority.

The situation lasted two years. In 2024, an agent from Revenu Québec's collection service contacted the entrepreneur to inform him that he was facing significant tax debts. It was at this point that he understood that Chaabani had been keeping for himself the majority of the sums that had been entrusted to him.

Confronted by the entrepreneur, Chaabani reportedly admitted the facts and asked that the matter remain confidential. A repayment agreement was reportedly concluded, but was not honoured by the accountant.

The entrepreneur then reported the situation to Revenu Québec. Chaabani was at that time holding the position of executive assistant to the Principal Directorate of Voluntary Disclosures, International Collections and Knowledge Evolution.

After obtaining authorisation from the tax authority, the entrepreneur and his lawyer filed a complaint with Laval police to request the opening of a criminal investigation. Erika Landry, an officer with Laval police, indicated that no follow-up had yet been communicated to the victim, noting that this delay is normal at this stage of the procedure.

Source: Google News CA — Québec (FR)