The Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal from Quebec to reveal information about the ‘secret trial’ held in February 2022.
Media outlet La Presse revealed that the Quebec Court of Appeal had discovered the existence of the secret trial.
In this case, a police informant whose identity is protected was on trial as he was accused of a crime whose nature remained confidential. He was found guilty.
La Presse reported that the trial left virtually no trace. It’s impossible to find out, for example, which police force was involved or when the events occurred.
Court of Appeal judges had stated that the conduct of the trial behind closed doors violated the principle of the public justice system.
This court made the ‘secret trial’ known by issuing a redacted judgment about the case on March 23, 2022. The court was made aware of the case because the accused, who was found guilty, appealed.
In the wake of these revelations, a consortium of media outlets, including Radio-Canada, La Presse and The Canadian Press requested that the sealed information be partially or completely lifted. Quebec court chief judge also requested access to the documents. The motions were rejected.
The Supreme Court was therefore asked to hear the case and agreed on Thursday.