Lawyers ask Quebec Court of Appeal to shed more light on secret trial
MONTREAL — The province’s attorney general, the chief justice of the Quebec court and several media organizations went before the Quebec Court of Appeal today to demand more information about a secret trial.
Their lawyers argued separately that details must be made public regarding the trial, which has been criticized for being contrary to the fundamental principles of the country’s justice system.
The trial’s existence only became public earlier this year because a police informant accused in the case appealed his or her conviction, and the appeals court issued a heavily redacted ruling critical of the lower court proceedings.
Christian Leblanc, a lawyer for media organizations — including The Canadian Press — told the Court of Appeal that legal proceedings must be conducted in public to ensure the public’s confidence in the justice system.
