} .td-next-prev-wrap a:hover, In the e-mail exchanges shown at top, a Bondfield staffer tells Mr. Aquino he has found turf for the backyard at Mr. Georgious Toronto home, at bottom right in satellite view, with the house at street view at bottom left. Court records showed that while he was a senior official at the procurement agency, he also controlled two construction companies that had issued invoices, totalling $65,000, to York for maintenance work. They were so close, in fact, that in many e-mails Mr. Georgiou referred to Mr. Mendonca by a nickname: Smooth.. .tdm-btn-style1 { body .tdm-social-item i { John Aquino, owner, Bondfield Construction Co. Ltd., co-founder and co-chair of the ICARE gala . .sf-menu > .current-menu-item > a:after, Andy Pattenden confirmed in an email to Ontario Construction News (OCN) on Monday. #td-mobile-nav .td-menu-login-section a:hover, Also known as John Diaquino, Born J Aquino. } On Jan. 5, 2015, just a few weeks before St. Michaels announced it had finally selected Bondfield as the winner, Mr. Georgiou appointed Michael Mendonca as the hospitals new vice-president of facilities. Zurich argues that the alleged collusion should nullify any obligation it has to pay for the completion of the project. .block-title > a, body .td_top_authors .td_mod_wrap:hover .td-author-post-count, .dropcap2, #bbpress-forums .bbp-topic-freshness a:hover, (1979) as Deputy Sheriff On March 19, 2013, those evaluators presented their scores to Mr. Georgious steering committee, which was also made up of two officials from Infrastructure Ontario and a St. Michaels official. body .td_top_authors .td-active .td-author-post-count, Two of those buildings, on Gervais Drive in midtown Toronto, housed multiple commercial tenants. "; .page .td_quote_box, "item": { Subcontractors were furious. this.found_posts = 0; //from wp Infrastructure Ontario launched an investigation of his dealings with Vas Georgiou. JOHN AQUINO, MARCO CARUSO, GIUSEPPE ANASTASIO a.k.a. A Roman Catholic religious order founded the hospital on Bond Street in the 1890s.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail. this.td_current_page = 1; // John Bondfield to the Commissioners. Related To Catherine Aquino, Anthony Aquino, Antonio Aquino, Vincent Aquino, Jennie Aquino. So I think I gave him a panettone, and some wine, maybe a cognac bottle, thats about it. } }, The Mareva was brought against John Aquino by Ernst & Young Inc., in its capacity as court-appointed monitor of Bondfield Construction Company Limited. background: -webkit-linear-gradient(top, rgba(0,0,0,0.8) 0%, rgba(0,0,0,0.7) 100%); He has lived in Ottawa since 1981. The panel of judges found that the construction companys suit did not have the classic characteristics improper motives, claims of phantom harm, and bullying tactics of a SLAPP suit. Bondfields statement of claim alleged The Globe article had the clear inference that the contract was awarded because of corruption. The Globe and Mail reported last week that arrest followed an investigation by YRP detectives of several complaints from current and former staff of Bondfield in Vaughan. However, he added he would have no reason to correct The Globes interpretation of Mr. Aquinos notes. .td_3D_btn, After publishing its first piece, The Globe learned that, at the same time Mr. Georgiou had been evaluating bids for the St. Michaels project, he had also been working on the side for companies owned by Mr. Aquino. ( function () { Canadian singing legend, Andy Kim and his nine-piece band headlined the gala, providing the . Under questioning by Zurichs lawyer, Matthew Lerner, Mr. Aquino acknowledged Bondfield performed all of this work free of charge. .sf-menu > li:hover > a:after, .vc_tta-container .vc_tta-color-grey.vc_tta-tabs-position-top.vc_tta-style-classic .vc_tta-tabs-container { [16] In October 2018, BCCL's primary lender, Bridging Finance Inc. ("Bridging"), called in its $80,000,000 loan. Mr. Georgiou worked at Infrastructure Ontario from 2006 until he was dismissed in 2012, after he was implicated in a false invoice scheme at Torontos York University. window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; 2. At all times, Osler acted professionally and ethically in advancing its clients interests in this litigation, Ms. Stein-Korte said. The firm has no knowledge about the article that gave rise to the lawsuit, Mr. Matheson said. He said he had never personally profited from the scheme, but acknowledged distributing part of the proceeds, in cash, to a friend who had asked him to issue the invoices. The Globe and Mail reported last week that arrest followed an investigation by YRP detectives of several complaints from current and former staff of Bondfield in Vaughan. } Osler declined to say how much it was paid by Bondfield. Domenic Dipede, Bondfield controller at the time, corresponds with a Potentia shareholder about Mr. Aquino and Mr. Georgiou investing in the solar company. He was released with a next court date of Jan. 6, 2021, Pattenden wrote. The Globe and Mail reports that one of the criminal charges stems from the day John Aquino was fired. John Aquino, the former chief executive officer of Bondfield Construction Co. Ltd., was a domineering boss who was used to getting his way. Some information may no longer be current. In the meantime, our focus will remain on what has been our priority for more than 130 years and what matters even more right now caring for those who need us most during this unprecedented pandemic, she said. .td-subcat-filter .td-subcat-list a:hover, (Mr. Georgiou was also suing St. Michaels for wrongful dismissal. In a statement to The Globe this week, a spokesperson for Osler said the firm had no knowledge of the e-mail deletions. } .td-post-small-box a:hover, var td_pass_empty="Pass empty! A police investigation, which is being led by a provincial law enforcement initiative known as the Serious Fraud Office, is targeting Sam Marafioti, a Sunnybrook executive who oversaw construction and planning until his recent resignation from the hospital. border-color: #38a6c1; Even after Mr. Georgiou was fired by St. Michaels in 2015, he continued to use his influence to help Bondfield. -webkit-box-shadow: 0 4px 26px #38a6c1; (It has since been purchased by the Power Corp. family of companies and renamed Potentia Renewables). Details of the alleged kickbacks contained in e-mails and transcripts were barred from public view. John Aquino talks on the phone in his SUV last April outside Bondfield's office in Vaughan. On July 23, 2014, the evaluators tasked with reviewing the design submissions of the bidders presented their scores to the steering committee of four senior officials, including Mr. Georgiou. "item": { But in an e-mailed statement, he said he conducted himself in a completely ethical and professional manner in all aspects.. .td-pulldown-syle-3 .td-subcat-dropdown:hover .td-subcat-more i, A spreadsheet of all of Mr. Aquinos assets, found on Bondfields servers, included a notation next to the company that owned the buildings: Owe Vas $500,000., Under questioning by Zurichs lawyers, Mr. Aquino said he had gifted about $50,000 worth of shares in the company to Mr. Georgiou in 2012, before he was hired by St. Michaels. In the middle of all of this, after a 10-month investigation, a special committee of Infrastructure Ontarios board issued the results of its investigation into Mr. Georgiou and Mr. Aquino. The articles described an undisclosed commercial connection between the company's top executive, John Aquino, and a senior hospital executive, Vas Georgiou, who the paper said had admitted in 2011 to creating false invoices used in a kickback scheme at York University. Mr. Georgiou replied: I wanted to make sure that the project was a success, regardless of my departure from St. Mikes. He said there was nothing untoward about his continued involvement. Previous post There is no more story. But that lawsuit that has been effectively dead since Bondfield sought bankruptcy protection. this.td_user_action = ''; // load more or infinite loader (used by the animation) March 22, 2022 John Aquino, the former president of a major and now bankrupt Ontario construction contractor, plans to appeal a provincial court ruling that puts him and his associates on the. In an e-mail, a spokesperson for the hospital said it is co-operating fully with the investigation and has retained a law firm to investigate. .td-block-title-wrap .td-wrapper-pulldown-filter .td-pulldown-filter-item .td-cur-simple-item, Your email address will not be published. Mr. Aquino rallied allies in the construction industry and a prominent Conservative fundraiser. .tds-button6:after, .tdm_block_pricing .tdm-pricing-feature i, "; They also sometimes obtain a courts permission to execute civil search warrants on residences and businesses what is known as an Anton Piller order. You have entered an incorrect email address! Infrastructure Ontario launched an investigation of his dealings with Vas Georgiou.Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail. But on Sept. 15, 2015, he was up against an ancient. It was granted creditor protection last spring. Earlier, he worked as a journalist and sub-editor, including a stint on the Bulawayo Chronicle in 1979-80, during the transition from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe. That same 2013 e-mail also raises questions about who was ultimately paying for the work on Mr. Georgious home. Have the Top Business Headlines newsletter conveniently delivered to your inbox in the morning or evening. var td_magnific_popup_translation_tNext="Next (Right arrow key)"; In 2015, when The Globe was preparing a story about the close ties between the two men, John Aquino ordered an IT official at Bondfield to permanently delete 5,000 e-mails and records about Mr. Georgiou from the companys servers. The Globe filed a motion in court to have Bondfields lawsuit dismissed under the Protection of Public Participation Act an Ontario law passed to quash meritless lawsuits that are launched not to seek an actual remedy, but to intimidate and suppress speech that is in the public interest. } googletag.enableServices(); Mr. Aquino made good on his promise to hire a libel lawyer, though, turning to one of Canadas premier law firms, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. In an e-mailed statement, a spokesperson for Metrolinx, the provincial agency that oversees GO Transit, said it learned about this allocation because of The Globes inquiries. body .td_block_list_menu li.current-category-ancestor > a { var tdb_modal_confirm="Save"; 0 0 805 All Time 0. Have the Top Business Headlines newsletter conveniently delivered to your inbox in the morning or evening. Infrastructure Ontario continues to defend its conclusions. .td_block_template_9 .td-related-title:after { .td-theme-wrap .sf-menu ul .sfHover > a, this.atts = ''; "position": 3, Mr. Georgiou insisted he had been railroaded, and launched a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against St. Michaels. .single-product .product .summary .cart .button:hover, This included landscaping his yard, demolishing his driveway, carpentry inside his residence and working on his gazebo. .td-category-title-holder .td-page-title { But when a team of evaluators first scored the bidders, they put Bondfield in fourth place a ranking that, if allowed to stand, would eliminate the company from the race. .td-rating-bar-wrap div, St. Michaels Hospital, founded in 1892 with a mission of treating Torontos poor and vulnerable, long ago outgrew the space it occupies. } John Aquino, formerly of Bonfield Construction, formerly in Concord, has been charged criminally by York Regional Police. googletag.cmd.push(function() { Osler operates a Risk Management and Crisis Response team, and Bondfield retained one of its team members, Kevin OBrien. Both Infrastructure Ontario and Unity Health Toronto, the network of hospitals that includes St. Michaels, said in separate statements that they are co-operating with the police. .sf-menu ul .menu-item a { In response to e-mailed questions from The Globe, Linda Robinson, the then-chair of Infrastructure Ontarios board and a former partner at Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, said: I am not going to comment on matters that were reviewed at great length and in painstaking detail by the legal and accounting firms five years ago., Michael Lindsay, the new CEO of Infrastructure Ontario, said in an e-mailed statement that, because the agency selects winners by consensus as part of a committee, it is virtually impossible for individuals to influence the outcome., As for the investigators failure to uncover the secret e-mails between Mr. Aquino and Mr. Georgiou, or the evidence of the home renovations and other alleged benefits, Mr. Lindsay chalked that up to the limitations of private investigators. As for how that information filtered down to Mr. Aquino, Mr. Georgiou told Zurichs lawyers he had no explanation. .header-search-wrap .td-drop-down-search:before { The letter it sent him cited his involvement in the false-invoice scheme, as well as his failure to disclose his work for Mr. Aquinos companies. .page-nav:first-child > div, Notify me of follow-up comments by email. #bbpress-forums li.bbp-header .bbp-reply-content span a:hover, } "@type": "ListItem", Alessandra Aquino, B. ENG, MBA, Vice President of Project Development. When The Globe asked St. Michaels why it hired someone to oversee a $300-million procurement who had been embroiled in a fraud on a public university, the hospital had a simple answer: No one, including officials from Infrastructure Ontario, told it anything about this. } body .td_top_authors .td-active .td-authors-name a, But the two men went back even further. But the e-mails uncovered by Zurich show he was not deterred. Mr. Aquino sits in his SUV at the Bondfield office last October. .tdm-btn-style2:before { Her extensive experience as a . "; .widget_calendar tfoot a:hover, But what few outside of Bondfield knew, until Zurich filed its materials in court, was that, over the years, Mr. Aquino had ordered his staff to perform many hours of free labour at Mr. Georgious house in north Toronto. See You Next Year. Mr. Ciccolini had fundraised for former federal Conservative cabinet minister Julian Fantino, and Masters brokered some of the surety bond contracts that Zurich is now saddled with as a result of Bondfields collapse. For his part, Mr. Georgiou denied, in his examination, having any interest whatsoever in the buildings. Condrain Company (1983) Ltd. has been charged with six counts of criminal negligence causing death in relation to a crash Ontario Construction News staff writer var td_retype_pass_incorrect="Retyped Pass incorrect! 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