Singer Corneliu will spend at least the weekend in prison for failing to bring justice, even if he swears that it is his lawyers who are to blame for his most recent setbacks.
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“I had never received the hearing date, my lawyers had not given it to me,” Corneliu Munteanu spontaneously said this Friday at the Montreal courthouse.
Handcuffed and flanked by a correctional services officer, the singer seemed full of hope of being released following his arrest Wednesday evening under an arrest warrant.
This is because the singer, known for his time at Star Academy in 2004, is accused of having drugged two people without their knowledge, in 2013 and 2016. He was supposed to return to court last week, but he never showed up. And as his lawyer had not heard from him, an arrest warrant was issued.
Investigators from the sexual assault section then took steps, which made it possible to trace the accused to Laval.
Court overloaded
Normally, justice should have decided today whether Corneliu should remain detained or not. However, his lawyers did not appear in court, and the judge assigned to this hearing was overloaded with cases. Faced with this situation, the magistrate proposed to postpone the case until Monday.
“There’s no way I can be freed in the meantime?” the singer then asked, looking annoyed at having to spend a few more days in prison.
The judge then sent the file to another room, in the hope that the accused could decide on his fate, especially since a defense lawyer finally arrived in the scene.
Discouraged
Except that even if this other judge had time to hear the case, it was his lawyer who asked to postpone everything until Tuesday in order to prepare.
“Until then, will I remain detained?” said a disappointed Corneliu.
The judge then explained to him that he could try to represent himself, but that this came with the risk that he would remain detained for a long time, until his trial.
Visibly discouraged, Corneliu finally agreed to the lawyer’s request.
“I guess that’s the best thing to do,” he blurted, shaking his head in disapproval.
He will therefore return to court next Tuesday to explain in more detail why he did not appear in court last week. An investigator is also expected to testify.