Obstructing justice: a mistake not criminal, pleads the defence

Photo Martin Alarie
Dimitrios Strapatsas

Michael Nguyen

Wednesday, 30 August, 2017 13:50

UPDATE
Wednesday, 30 August, 2017 13:50

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The montreal lawyer accused of helping a murderer to disseminate the statement of an informer annoying has committed “errors of judgment” but not to the point of being convicted of obstruction of justice, argued the defence on Wednesday.

“I Dimitrios Strapatsas has made bad choices, he has put himself in a position that is questionable, but it has acted in good faith”, has hammered his lawyer Fabio Dell’aquila, in the Centre judiciaire Gouin.

I Strapatsas has found itself at the bench of the accused to have helped a former client in the spring of 2015. At the time, the criminal lawyer defended John Boulachanis in a murder case.

In this case, the Crown wanted to introduce the evidence of an informer, who Boulachanis had made incriminating statements. Unhappy, Boulachanis then arranged to bring in line the statement of the informer to the police.

Boulachanis gave the CD containing the video to a fellow-prisoner, and he was then passed on to his wife to run. In exchange, the woman was to receive $200.

The woman is executed, and this is Me Strapatsas himself who has given the money agreed upon, at a Tim Hortons in Montreal. The video was ultimately withdrawn when the woman realized the content of what she had put online.

“I Strapatsas has acted in good faith, it will not happen in a similar situation in the future,” argued his lawyer.

Willful blindness

During his testimony, Strapatsas had said they simply wanted to render service, and that he did not know why he had given an envelope full of money to a woman he did not know.

For the Crown, Strapatsas has, at a minimum, willful blindness.

“The objective [of putting the video online was to intimidate a potential witness, his duty of a lawyer was to inform, pleaded Me Jennifer Morin. He is a lawyer of experience in criminal law, and it does not ask questions.”

The prosecutor does not believe, moreover, not the accused, who has vowed not to have had any conversation of interest with the woman to whom he has awarded $ 200. Their exchanges via text messaging, who would have been able to prove these claims, have never been backed up by Strapatsas, even though he knew that this could help his defence.

After listening to both sides, the lawyers, the judge, Marc-André Dagenais announced that it would issue its verdict in the month of October.