The case against billionaire Robert Miller is moving forward, but questions remain about the ailing billionaire’s ability to appear in court to face multiple sex charges.
Lawyers for Mr. Miller and the Crown met in a Montreal courtroom on Wednesday, but the accused was not present as the case was adjourned to July 1.er october.
The founder of global electronics retailer Future Electronics was arrested in May on 21 sex charges involving 10 female complainants, several of whom were minors when the alleged offences took place between 1994 and 2016. One of the alleged victims was under the age of 14.
Prosecutor Delphine Mauger confirmed Wednesday that the Crown has begun providing evidence to Robert Miller’s lawyers in a complex case spanning several years and two separate police investigations.
“The more investigations, the more complexity. The more documents, the more statements. So the volume of evidence is still very large in Mr. Miller’s case,” she told reporters outside the courtroom.
Police opened an investigation into the allegations against Miller in 2009, but the provincial prosecutor’s office decided not to lay charges. The second investigation took place more recently, after reports by CBC and Radio-Canada that he had committed sexual offences.
Miller’s condition to be subject to hearing
Me Mauger said a judge will have to decide whether the defendant is healthy enough to attend his trial, after his lawyers argued he was suffering too much from Parkinson’s disease to appear in court.
In a stay application last month, Miller’s lawyers said the illness had left the defendant in an “extremely fragile condition,” bedridden since 2022 and unable to wash or feed himself. They argued that forcing him to appear in court could endanger his life and would violate his right to a fair trial since he cannot defend himself.
A Quebec Superior Court judge refused to hear the request to stay the proceedings, but Mr.e Mauger said a hearing will be held before the trial judge at a later date to decide whether Mr Miller is fit to testify.
“There will eventually be a debate,” she said. “We will also have an expert, and it will be up to the court and a judge to decide whether Mr. Miller will be found physically fit to stand trial.”
An alleged accomplice, Teresita Fuentes, was arrested in May on a warrant for providing sexual services in connection with one of Robert Miller’s alleged victims, and was represented Wednesday by the same attorneys.
The businessman resigned as chairman and CEO of Future Electronics in February 2023, saying he would focus on protecting his reputation.
He faces separate allegations in a class-action lawsuit filed by dozens of women who claim he gave them money and gifts in exchange for sex when they were minors between 1996 and 2006. Miller denies the charges, which have not been filed in court.
Jeff Orenstein, who is leading the class action lawsuit against Miller, said Wednesday that the case now involves about 50 alleged victims, some as young as 11 or 12 at the time of the alleged offenses. He said a hearing on whether to authorize the lawsuit is expected late this year or early next year. The lawyer added that he is still waiting for written responses to questions he sent to Miller after a judge authorized limited questioning in February.
In a statement released Wednesday in his name, Robert Miller reaffirmed his innocence. “Recognized throughout his life for his honesty, integrity and philanthropy, Robert G. Miller remains true to himself and asserts his innocence in the face of the accusations brought against him,” it is written.
“His reputation has always been impeccable and recognized, both personally and professionally. Throughout his life, all his relationships have been honest, consensual and pleasant.”