A judge has declined the former premier's Jean Charest’s $700,000 demand from the Quebec government for wrongful conduct in relation to a corruption investigation involving him and his party.
The decision given this week in Superior Court follows the former premier receiving $385,000 last year for intrusion of privacy, a ruling that the Quebec government did not contest.
The matter was connected to disclosures to journalists in 2017 about an inquiry by the province’s anti-corruption police into purported illegal Liberal party funding during Charest’s time as premier.
The former premier was never prosecuted in the investigation and has stated that the disclosures damaged his reputation and had a personal impact on him.
Following the $385,000 award in April 2023, Charest sought an additional $700,000, alleging that the province utilized delaying tactics during his privacy intrusion lawsuit and was unjust throughout.
However, Justice Gregory Moore stated that the province did not act unfairly in the matter and did not take an excessive amount of time to respond to document requests.
Charest’s spokesperson Laurence Toth mentioned that the former premier would not provide a comment on the decision.
