The record advance at a snail’s pace

Photo from the archives, Stevens LeBlanc
Jaggi Singh

Accused

Pierre-Paul Biron

Thursday, march 8, 2018 19:21

UPDATE
Thursday, march 8, 2018 21:54

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The request for disclosure of evidence of Jaggi Singh has continued at a snail’s pace for a third day of a full hearing Thursday in the municipal court of Quebec, the Crown impatientant more time and Jaggi Singh keeping the course.

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The atmosphere was tense in the end of the day on Thursday, while for a third session in a row, the judge had to adjourn without that Jaggi Singh was able to complete the cross-examination of the investigator responsible for the file of the events of 20 August.

The protesting anti-globalization had been arrested and then charged with ” obstruction and impersonation, in particular, to be identified as the famous hockey player Michel Goulet.

The Crown prosecutor, Marie-Hélène Guillemette, in particular against the fact that Jaggi Singh, who defends himself alone, encroaches on other steps, so that the procedure is at the request for disclosure of evidence. It has been argued on several occasions the judge Pierre Bordeleau that the accused “was going everywhere at once” in its application.

“Eventually, it will be necessary to complete the query, it does not continue for the whole life “, he launched the prosecutor Marie-Hélène Guillemette, exasperated by the situation.

“Dishonest and ambiguous “

Responding to criticism of the Crown, Jaggi Singh said that if ” the prosecution and the police had handed over the whole of the evidence right from the start “, the cause would have advanced more quickly.

The accused has further stated that detective sergeant Stéphane Noël did not respond clearly to their questions, which lengthened the debate. “The responses of the detective sergeant are dishonest. Even the judge said that his answers were ambiguous, ” said the protester at its exit from the court room.

Without criticizing the testimony of the agent of the SPVQ, the judge then asked the police officer Christmas to provide complete responses to try to speed things up. “The information out to the seed, and this is not a testimony that I built until now,” pointed out the judge Bordeleau.

The request for disclosure of the evidence is still not completed, Jaggi Singh will return to court on march 21, to continue this preliminary stage and to attempt to reach the bottom of the folder.

The judge pointed out that it would take more than half a day to complete the cross-examination of sergeant Christmas in order to speed things up. “Four days for a disclosure of the evidence, it is quite exceptional,” said the magistrate who has dealt with the judgment in Jordan.