Scandal surrounding real estate tycoon Malo: Five years for brutal attack!

Scandal surrounding real estate tycoon Malo: Five years for brutal attack!

In the case of the controversial real estate developer Jean-François Malo from Joliette, a verdict was made on October 24, 2025 that caused a stir. Malo was sentenced to five years in prison by Judge Denys Noël at the Palais de justice de Longueuil after pleading guilty to commissioning a violent attack on a lawyer. This lawyer, Me Nicholas Daudelin, represented the Mouvement Desjardins in a civil lawsuit against Malo. 985fm reported that the crime took place in 2020 and that Malo had paid two men to commit the crime against Daudelin, which brought the mass and intensity of the incidents into the spotlight not only locally but also nationally.

The circumstances of the conviction made many sit up and take notice. Despite a request from the public prosecutor, the court decided on a sentence of ten to twelve years. The other participants responsible for the aggression walked away with sentences of between nine and ten years. This brought Judge Noël under criticism, especially since he also took into account particularly aggravating circumstances such as the planning and preparation of the attack. The question arose as to whether the punishment imposed was proportionate to the seriousness of the offence. Radio Canada addressed these aspects in detail.

Escape and reactions

What is particularly explosive is the fact that Malo has been on the run since October 14, 2025, which has led to an international arrest warrant. Malo had missed a court date citing security concerns, while his lawyer withdrew from the case for tax reasons. The social reaction to the case is mixed. Former judge Nicole Gibault expressed her astonishment in the media at the sentence imposed, which fuels the discourse about the appropriateness of punishment in society. Immigrant Today shows that crime rates in Canada are relatively low compared to many other countries, adding to the shock of such a case. The country ranks eleventh out of 163 countries in the Global Peace Index 2025, following an overall trend of decreasing violent crime.

However, economic crimes and raid-like aggression have become more noticeable in recent years. The overall increase in the number of economic crimes is largely attributed to economic instability. What is particularly noticeable is a decrease in other violent crimes, while the number of cybercrimes and fraud cases is increasing. It remains to be seen how the judiciary will respond to the growing number of criminal cases and whether the Malo case will be followed by legal changes.