Judicial Council to examine complaints against Judge Poliquin

The Judicial Council will examine the numerous complaints against judge Matthieu Poliquin for his controversial discharge, but it will not be before the end of August.

Judicial Council to examine complaints against Judge Poliquin

The Judicial Council will examine the numerous complaints against judge Matthieu Poliquin for his controversial discharge, but it will not be before the end of August.

• Read also: A “manifestly unreasonable sentence”: the appeal against Houle is filed

• To read also: A judge without judgment?

• Read also: Summer news is marked by sexual misconduct

"The members of the Council [...] will examine whether or not the alleged facts are likely to constitute a breach of the Judicial Code of Ethics and, if so, whether there is reason to investigate the complaint. “Wrote the Council, in response to the complaint of the instigator of a petition collecting more than 4600 signatures requesting an investigation into the magistrate and the revocation of his appointment.

Judge Matthieu Poliquin is the one who granted a conditional discharge to engineer Simon Houle, sparking public outcry and indignation.

“Do we really want a judge who makes such decisions in our judicial system and is he capable of being one?”, wonders in an interview with Le Journal Kareen Emery, the citizen behind the petition.

Remember that Houle, 30, had been able to escape a criminal record, despite having recognized the assault of a drunk friend, in addition to having photographed her private parts.

But it was above all the reasons mentioned by Judge Poliquin that made the population react strongly.

“Quite quickly”

The magistrate had noted that the attack had taken place “on the whole quickly”, adding that Houle was also intoxicated by alcohol and that this “can help explain behavior”.

Describing him as a "person of good character", the judge had taken into account that a "conviction would have particularly negative and disproportionate consequences for him", when he could not travel and it would have an impact on his career as a 'engineer.

He had therefore concluded that a conditional discharge “would not harm the public interest”, even if the victim had to be hospitalized because of dark thoughts in addition to having been off work for 5 months.

Several complaints

In addition to the petition, many indignant Internet users have indicated on social networks that they have filed a complaint against Judge Matthieu Poliquin at the Judicial Council.

“[With such a decision], we have just fallen back into a world where an abuser gets off more easily than the victim, who will be scratched for life,” laments Kareen Emery.

However, she is satisfied to see that the Conseil de la magistrature will study her complaint and that its members will study the possibility of conducting an investigation.

The Journal asked Council how many complaints in total were received.

"In the case of the decision rendered by Judge Matthieu Poliquin, as in all situations which precede the initiation of an investigation, I am not in a position to confirm or deny the fact that the Council has received one or more complaints », indicated by e-mail Me Annie-Claude Bergeron, Secretary to the Council.

However, she specified that “considering the summer period, the next Board meeting is scheduled for the end of August”.

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