Quebec roadwork industry rife with corruption: report

A leaked report prepared by Quebec's anti-corruption squad and obtained by Radio-Canada describes the province's roadwork industry as rife with underground deals and tied to organized crime.

The report, obtained by the CBC's French-language service, says it's routine for consulting engineering firms to inflate estimates for projects and for entrepreneurs to go over budget.

In some cases, they're the same entrepreneurs who attempt to charge the Ministry of Transportation for extras.

The ministry rarely fights those overages and, when it does, often settles out of court, the investigation found.

The report also says some of the money may end up being passed from the consulting firms on to political parties or used to pay workers under the table.

No companies or individuals are named in the report.

Premier Jean Charest did not comment on the report Wednesday.

A spokesperson from his office said it has not been reviewed yet.