The identity of witnesses in the trial of ArcelorMittal, accused of criminal negligence, could be made public, a judge at the Sept-Îles courthouse ruled Monday morning.
Judge Vicky Lapierre rejected a request for an order not to publish the identities of 39 witnesses, including employees, ex-employees and service providers of ArcelorMittal.
ArcelorMittal wins its case
The request was made by the criminal and penal prosecutor, Claude Girard, who believed that employees who testified against the company could suffer harm.
He then requested a publication ban like those generally granted for cases involving minors or victims of sexual assault.
For his part, ArcelorMittal’s lawyer, Me Michel Massicotte, affirmed that the witnesses did not receive threats from their employer and that this request was not supported by any facts.
A lawyer representing Radio-Canada and TVA, Me Christian Leblanc, also intervened in the debate by positioning himself against the publication ban order. According to him, such a restriction would prevent certain parts of the evidence from being exposed to the public.
More than forty witnesses
ArcelorMittal finds itself in court on a charge of criminal negligence causing injury.
The events date back to a work accident at the Mont Wright mining complex, near Fermont, which occurred in June 2019. A worker then suffered significant injuries when a conveyor broke.
The company is accused of not having taken the necessary measures to protect the employee against a danger that had been known for five years, it is argued in a CNESST report.
A “history of mechanical breakdowns” was noted by CNESST inspectors during their investigation.
Forty-five witnesses, including former employees, current workers of the company and ArcelorMittal suppliers, are expected to be heard during this trial.
A trial longer than expected
Started at the end of January, the trial will take longer than expected since the hearings which were to be held the week of February 12 in Fermont were finally postponed to March 11, the question of the publication ban having taken more time provided that.
The trial was originally scheduled to last eight weeks.
• With information from Alexandre Cantin, TVA Nouvelles