The State will have to reimburse more than a million dollars to the former boss of the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), Richard Deschesnes, confirmed the Court of Appeal by declaring “abusive” the recourses of the Attorney General who did everything not to pay.
“A reasonable person would have concluded that the abuse found at first instance continued on appeal. There is therefore reason to declare the appeal abusive”, ruled today the highest court in Quebec, rebuffing the Attorney General of Quebec, who used the court’s precious time for proceedings knowing full well that he was going to lose.
Unless the state decides to prosecute this abuse of process, this means that Richard Deschesnes will finally be able to recover the amounts he lost, after facing criminal charges for which he had been acquitted.
Mr. Deschesnes had found himself in the limelight due to the dubious use of a secret fund of the SQ ten years ago.
Secret fund
This fund, filled with public funds, is usually used for “special operating expenses” such as the remuneration of sources. However, it had been used to settle an administrative dispute with other senior officers.
The Crown saw it as a criminal act, but a judge had rather considered that if it was perhaps unethical, there was no crime.
“His conduct could not be elevated to dishonesty,” added the Court of Appeal.
Except that throughout the proceedings, the SQ refused to pay the legal fees of Mr. Deschesnes, even if the law obliged him to do so since the unfounded accusations had been made in the context of his work.
The latter had to go to court, which ruled in his favor.
over a million
And in addition to the $300,000 in fees, the state also had to pay more than $500,000 to the former general manager, to compensate for five years when he had been placed on “half pay”.
With interest, the amount exceeds one million dollars.
The Attorney General of Quebec then appealed the case, where he played on words to try to make his case. For this abuse, Quebec will have to pay an additional $5,500 which comes, like all other amounts, from state coffers.