Quebec has ruled out a public hearing on the Kamara affair

When asked about the transparency of her government’s approach to shedding light on the actions of the Service de Police de la Ville de Montreal (SPVM) in the Kamara affair, Genevieve Gilbolt assured that anything could be revealed without harming what was going on. There will be criminal investigation.

However, according to her, the exception to this is the public hearing on this annoying affair, as long as the perpetrator is not arrested and the criminal investigation in this case is complete.

But, Mrs. Gilbolt is reassured The independent investigation announced its office yesterday Definitely will be disclosed Subject to parts that may not be subject to police and legal circumstances at the time the report is filed, She clarified.

If there are ongoing legal processes or other information, the specific information should not be public, it should not be so.

The five-month trial is set to begin on February 22, with the Cabinet approving Judge Dionne’s candidacy this afternoon.

The Cabinet yesterday announced that Superior Court Judge Louis Dionne would be required to independently investigate the actions of the SPVM at the time of the arrest of Mamadi III Farah Kamara and the actions of the police following the attack on one of their associates in the park. -Extension District January 28th.

Mr Kamara was mistakenly arrested and detained for six days, and then charged Should be released on court orders On February 3rd.

A case that has had a broad impact on public opinion and raised questions about the methods of SPVM.

For Minister Gilbolt, these are serious and tragic events that need an independent investigation, so she thinks Judge Louis Dionne The right person To shed some light on this matter.

The impartiality required for her duties as a judge, her experience in police affairs, her time at the Director of Criminal Law, Public Security and the Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP), Genevieve Gilbolt, many guarantees for the work are done in a fair and transparent manner.

Of interest, there is no conflict

However, the fact that he is very close to the judiciary and that he has led the DPCP in the past raises questions about the perspective that Justice Dionne will take in this case. Journalists asked Ms Gilbolt if she feared he would be tempted to defend the companies he had previously worked for.

Concern not shared by minister. On the contrary, she emphasizes, it gives her a very deep knowledge and it is still over ten years [qu’il a dirigé le DPCP]. We have great faith in his impartiality. He has been a judge since 2013.

In connection with the suspicions of racial profiling in the events leading up to Mr Camara’s arrest and detention, Genevieve Gilbold explained that it was too early to comment on this and that it was an investigation to determine whether this was an element of discrimination.

Doubts continue

The existence of the remaining gray areas at Judge Dionne’s own discretion poses a problem, especially to those close to Mamadi Kamara.

Her lawyer, Mi Virginie Dufresne-Lemire, could not guarantee her client would be involved in the investigation this morning because, according to her, there are still many shady areas in the declaration process. Government.

The Kamara entourage also preferred a public hearing with a clear mandate to determine whether the police had racial profiling.

Concerns echoed up to the National Assembly, where the Opposition is demanding a more transparent investigation process and a clear mandate. It is, according to the parties, public confidence in its institutions.

We are not in the process of deciding in advance whether there will be racial profiling, said Alexander Leduk, a public safety spokesman for Quebec Solidair. We see that a lot of people are asking the question and we are asking the question too.

This is very healthy in a democracy, especially if it wants to restore the confidence of an organization that is failing in many respects.

In the Liberal ranks, PLQ Justice Mark Tango is very skeptical about the impact of the investigative process chosen by the Legal government.

This report is fully or partially disclosed, and then there are standards to protect personal information and other investigations, Mr. Tango. We can’t wait to see, but it needs to be fully, quickly and disclosed.