The sexual assault trial of former Parti Québécois MP Harold LeBel opened on Monday with the recording of the defendant’s not guilty plea and the selection of the jury, setting the stage for the start of the evidence, which will be presented on Tuesday.
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The ex-politician, who had been excluded from the Parti Québécois caucus as soon as his arrest was announced in December 2020, pleaded not guilty as previously announced by his lawyer, Me Maxime Roy.
Archival photo
Elected under the PQ banner in Rimouski in 2014, Harold LeBel wore the colors of the political party until his arrest on December 15, 2020. He completed his term as an MP as an independent.
The court then made the selection of the jury, which will be composed of 10 women and 4 men.
Judge Serge Francoeur announced the selection of a total of 14 people, two more than the usual number, due to the context surrounding the pandemic and the possibility that some jurors will have to recuse themselves at one time or another, which which would jeopardize the progress of the trial.
“Fourteen people are selected to ensure that a full jury will be able to deliberate,” explained the magistrate, stressing however that only 12 jurors were going to participate in the final deliberations as provided for by law.
Candidates exempted
A few candidates were exempted by Judge Francoeur for various reasons, including a lady who said she was uncomfortable dealing with a case of sexual assault when her mother had herself been the victim of abuse.
The trial will officially open on the merits Tuesday morning with the judge’s instructions to the jury and the start of the presentation of evidence. It is still unclear whether Mr. LeBel will testify.
The case is scheduled for two to three weeks.
Discontinued in 2020
Harold LeBel was arrested at his home in Rimouski on the morning of December 15, 2020.
After being questioned, he was formally charged with sexual assault on a complainant whose identity remains protected by a publication ban.
MP appreciated by his peers and his community, Harold LeBel had been excluded from the PQ caucus as soon as the announcement of his arrest by the leader of the party, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
His arrest had caused a shock wave in Quebec politics.
Harold LeBel announced last March that he would not run for Rimouski, he who had been elected in the riding since 2014.