By Canadian Press

Informant at heart of Quebec’s secret trial sues authorities for $5.8 million

Sep 11, 2023 | 10:23 AM

MONTREAL — A police informant at the heart of a secret trial in Quebec is suing authorities for roughly $5.8 million.

The unnamed informant, described in the Aug. 28 lawsuit as the “designated person,” accuses police officers of acting in bad faith by reneging on the co-operation deal and then allegedly blackmailing him or her.

Designated person and another plaintiff called X are suing the unnamed police force and three police officers for a combined total of about $5.8 million in damages. 

The lawsuit, first reported by La Presse, is connected to a secret trial in which the informant was convicted of participating in a crime that he or she had revealed to police.

The existence of the secret trial only came to light because the informant appealed and the Court of Appeal in March 2022 set aside the conviction and was highly critical of the secrecy surrounding the original trial.

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Details of the trial were kept secret, including the nature of the crime and where it allegedly took place, as well as the names of the judge, lawyers and the police force involved.

Media attorneys sought a partial or complete release of the information in the case, but the Quebec Court of Appeal ruled in July 2022 that the right of informants to remain anonymous supersedes the principle of the open court process.

In March, the Supreme Court of Canada agreed to hear the media’s appeal of the July 2022 decision. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2023.

The Canadian Press