Quebec real estate developer arrested in Martinique after over 2 months on the run

A Quebec real estate developer who has two Canada-wide warrants out for his arrest was nabbed Tuesday by authorities in Martinique, a French island in the Caribbean.

Jean-François Malo, from Joliette, Que., was convicted of ordering a 2020 armed assault on a lawyer. Radio-Canada confirmed the news of Tuesday’s arrest following an initial report by Le Journal de Montréal.

Radio-Canada sources say Malo was arrested in connection with an offence allegedly committed in Martinique, and not in connection with the two warrants issued against him.

Tian Meng, a prosecutor with the Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales (DPCP), confirmed the two Canadian warrants against Malo. One is a committal warrant following a five-year prison sentence, while the other is an arrest warrant for allegedly breaching release conditions.

However, Sgt. Éloïse Cossette, a spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec, declined to confirm Malo’s arrest. She said when a person wanted by Canadian authorities is located abroad, extradition proceedings may be initiated, though that process is confidential.

“We are currently validating information received regarding this individual,” she said.

Malo had been considered a fugitive since mid-October, when the judge presiding over his case issued an arrest warrant after he failed to appear in court on several occasions for his sentencing hearing.

In May, Malo was found guilty of aggravated assault. The court heard that during a legal dispute with Desjardins, Malo hired two men who opened fire at the home of Nicholas Daudelin, a lawyer representing the financial institution at the time. Daudelin was shot in the leg.

While Malo was convicted of the assault charges stemming from the 2020 incident, the Crown was unable to prove a charge of attempted murder.