The case of Guy Ouellette is prompt at trial Normandeau

File PHOTO, DIDIER DEBUSSCHÈRE
Nathalie Normandeau

Jean-Luc Lavallée

Monday, 22 January 2018 11:58

UPDATE
Monday, January 22, 2018 12:54

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The case of Guy Ouellette invites to the trial of Nathalie Normandeau. Prosecutors of the National Assembly and the deputy will ask the judge André Perreault to settle in priority the thorny issue of parliamentary privilege.

Not less than fifteen lawyers to show up in the small court room of the palace of justice of Quebec, Monday morning, on the occasion of the first day of hearing of the preliminary motions, for the trial of Nathalie Normandeau, Marc-Yvan Côté, and their four co-defendants who face various counts of fraud, conspiracy and bribery of public officials.

Remember that the judge Perreault will be called to rule in the context of this trial on a motion for stay of proceedings in connection with leaks in the media. The matter is made more complex on Monday with the intervention of the national Assembly, a lawyer representing the mna Guy Ouellette, and an attorney who represents a variety of media.

Essentially, the Director of criminal and penal prosecutions (DPCP) wishes to use in the context of the trial Normandeau documents that have been sealed in the record of the liberal mna Guy Ouellette in another judicial district.

“Marc-Yvan Côté has filed a motion for stay of proceedings for a case of abuse or oppression on the part of the State that would be organized, according to Mr. Côté, leaks to cause prejudice to the defence. In response to this, the DPCP wants to disclose documents to demonstrate that they have been diligent to try to find the source of leaks in journalistic and stop it,” summed Me Sébastien Pierre-Roy, who represents a consortium of media.

These documents “are in connection with the investigation that led to the arrest of (Guy Ouellette) and the National Assembly intervened by invoking parliamentary privilege to prevent disclosure of these documents”, said mr. Pierre-Roy.

The lawyer of the National Assembly, who spoke on Monday, I Giusseppe Battista, wants to have access to the evidence vetted in the file of Guy Ouellette in order to determine if it is relevant to invoke parliamentary privilege. “If we could have access to these documents, we could at this time decide whether the redaction will always take place to be maintained and perhaps this could resolve the debate”, he proposed.

A journalist assigned

The lawyer of the Duty, of The Press and of Radio-Canada also intends to object to any publication bans that may be imposed. He also announced the intention of Radio-Canada to object to the assignment of a journalist of the State-owned company which will be called by the defence to disclose its sources the next week if the documents requested by the defence remain inaccessible.

“Everything is a little nested. If we can do our proof otherwise, there would likely be a reason to break the subpoena… otherwise, there will be no other way. I need to know at what hierarchical level of the State (the source) does it and what are its motivations,” observed to Me, Olivier Desjardins, who second Me Jacques Larochelle in the record of Marc-Yvan Côté.

All the defendants were present Monday morning, with the exception of Nathalie Normandeau. The judge has given to be present at the request of his lawyer, mr. Maxime Roy.