Councilors claim to have voted on the right to professional secrecy and not on the provision of any legal opinion to the CMQ.
During the meeting, the elected officials agreed to avoid addressing the issue at the municipal council meeting Tuesday noon. This is why all municipal councilors, with the exception of Jean-Marc Crevier and Serge Gaudreault, voted for the item not to be added to the agenda.
The decision must be officially ratified at a city council meeting.
Jean-Marc Crevier and Serge Gaudreault wanted to add the subject to the agenda. (Tom Core/Archives The Daily)
The Department of Investigations and Prosecutions in Municipal Integrity (DEPIM) made a request on December 2 to the Director General of the City, Gabriel Rioux, as part of its investigation surrounding Saguenay’s decision to assume the legal costs of the mayoress.
Julie Dufour contests three statements of offense given by the Director General of Elections of Quebec (DGEQ).
“As a legal entity under public law, the City is the beneficiary of the privilege as a client of the lawyer. Therefore, in order to discover the truth, the DEPIM asks the municipal council to adopt a resolution aimed at waiving professional secrecy in relation to the decision to assume the defense costs of Ms. Dufour, including any legal opinion rendered in this matter. , following the issuance of the offense reports,” we could read in the email.
Saguenay was advised by an external lawyer, Me Sébastien Dorion, to make a decision. According to our information, Mr. Dorion participated in the meeting on Monday.
Saguenay can give up, says the CMQ
At the start of the afternoon, the CMQ had still not been informed of Saguenay’s decision, according to spokesperson Anne-Julie Lefebvre.
Ms. Lefebvre indicated that when the CMQ conducts its investigations, it has the right to demand the production of any document, except those protected by lawyer professional secrecy. This is why she asked the Saguenay municipal council to rule on this question.
The City is not forced to waive its privilege. “If the City were to refuse to give it up, we will evaluate the next steps at that time,” specifies the CMQ spokesperson.
Appearance Friday
To read on this same subject:
The Saguenay mayor’s case returns to court on Friday for a case management hearing. This first step allows the lawyers and the judge to learn more about the progress of the trial.
The lawyers will be able to discuss the issues in dispute, if necessary.
The mayor is represented by Me Charles Levasseur, a criminal lawyer from Quebec. During his first appearance on December 10, Me Levasseur asked Judge Jean-Sébastien Bussières for a speedy trial. The trial could last four days.
The DGEQ criticizes the mayor for having promised a position to three mayoral candidates during the 2021 municipal campaign, in exchange for the withdrawal of their candidacy.
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