Quebec ordered to pay ex-premier Charest $385K because of corruption probe leaks
Posted April 5, 2023 11:42 am.
Last Updated April 5, 2023 2:41 pm.
The Quebec Superior Court has ordered the provincial government to pay ex-premier Jean Charest $385,000 because information about a corruption investigation targeting the Liberals was leaked to journalists.
Charest filed a lawsuit against Quebec’s anti-corruption police, known as UPAC, and the province’s attorney general after details of an investigation into alleged illegal Liberal party financing were leaked in 2017.
The former Liberal premier was never charged in the investigation and has said the leaks tarnished his reputation and impacted him personally.
UPAC closed its investigation, dubbed Machurer, in February 2022 without laying charges.
Superior Court Justice Gregory Moore wrote in his April 4 decision that the leaks violated several laws and regulations that UPAC had a duty to uphold.
Charest tweeted in response to the judgement on Wednesday, saying at first he had asked the government of Quebec for an apology for failing to fulfill its legal duty of protecting his privacy but he never received a reply which led to him using the court system to assert his rights. He said the damages he and his family have gone through are “irreparable”.
Ma déclaration concernant le jugement de la Cour supérieure du Québec. pic.twitter.com/JbAqYyNfDP
— Jean Charest (@JeanCharest_) April 5, 2023
On Wednesday Quebec Premier François Legault said he was not ruling out issuing an apology to Charest on behalf of the Liberal government at the time.
“We’ll look into it,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 5, 2023.
