Martin Prud’homme declared that he was the victim of a « fishing expedition », and that the political system « has already decided my career is over »
Prud’homme was suspended from duty in March 2019 after the head of the provincial criminal prosecution office filed an ethics complaint against him over a phone call he made to him 16 months earlier
« After a year of investigating the phone call, I was cleared of any criminal offense without any of the investigators meeting with me, although I offered to cooperate fully, » wrote Prud’homme
« The real intention behind this investigation was not the phone call, but rather to conduct an extensive fishing expedition aimed at associating me with media leaks and based solely on the assumption of my friendship with (Quebec MP) Guy Ouellette and my family ties with the former UPAC commissioner Robert Lafrenière «
Prud’homme’s name surfaced several times in a 2017 affidavit used to obtain a search warrant for then-Liberal MP Ouellette The Quebec Anti-Corruption Unit (UPAC) arrested Ouellette , a former SQ sergeant, in connection with allegations that he disclosed confidential information to journalists Lafrenière – then director of UPAC – is the stepfather of Prud’homme The search warrant targeting Ouellette has finally been invalidated and Lafrenière resigned from his post in 2018 amid criticism of his handling of the investigation
In Friday’s statement, Prud’homme complained that « at no time was I informed of the real reason for my suspension and that I was never met to obtain my version of the facts, which goes against the principles of fundamental justice
« The government is about to make a decision based on mistaken and incomplete facts containing a multitude of shortcuts »
Hours after Prud’homme’s statement was made public, Quebec Minister of Public Security Geneviève Guilbault announced that the province’s civil service commission would examine Prud’homme’s case and would recommend whether he be fired or suspended without pay
Guilbeault told reporters an administrative investigation into Prud’homme revealed he had committed a sufficiently serious ethical breach to continue the investigative process authorized by law
The report of this administrative investigation was provided to Prud’homme in June and would remain confidential unless he agreed to share it publicly, Guilbeault said.
Quebec Liberal public safety critic Jean Rousselle complained that Guilbeault was not open enough in the details of what precisely was Prud’homme’s offense
« We are talking about the no 1 person in the SQ, » he said. « Based on the information we have now, it seems like it is a settling of scores and grudges »
For Québec solidaire, the case of Prud’homme shows that « it is time to put an end to petty politics within the police forces It tarnishes our police institutions, which already lack (public) trust »
QS deputy Alexandre Leduc said it was time to introduce civilian leaders into the police force « to break this unhealthy dynamic that has existed within these institutions for years »
Prud’homme said he intends to defend his rights and reputation before « a fair and impartial body » since the political system « has already decided that my career is over »
Finally, in his statement, Prud’homme contacted all police officers in Quebec, urging them to « keep their heads up and continue to believe in the justice you defend on a daily basis »
« Certainly part of the system is sick, but the public needs your integrity and your values »
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Martin Prud’homme, Sûreté du Québec, Guy Ouellette
News from the world – CA – A suspended SQ director denounces the « sick » system before a possible dismissal
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
