Quebec's Court of Appeals acquitted Guy Lafleur Tuesday, more than a year after he was convicted of perjury.
"He's a man of few words, but you could tell he was certainly relieved," said Lafleur's defence attorney Louis Belleu Tuesday.
The Canadiens legend was handed down a year-long suspended sentence after he was convicted last year for giving contradictory testimony during his son Mark's sexual assault trial.
At the time, Lafleur was also ordered to pay a fine of $100 and donate $10,000 to a drug rehabilitation centre.
The case began in 2007 when Lafleur testified at a bail hearing for Mark that his son had never violated curfew, nor consumed drugs or alcohol.
The elder Lafleur had, in fact, twice taken his son to a hotel so Mark could spend nights and weekends with his teenaged girlfriend.
That prompted the Crown to lay charges against Lafleur, and issue a well-publicized warrant for his arrest.
In rendering its decision, the Court of Appeals said the lower court should have looked at all the court orders in effect against Mark Lafleur at the time, and come to the conclusion that there was reasonable doubt that Guy Lafleur knowingly misled the court with his testi
The Crown may appeal the case to the Supreme Court, but the decision to acquit Lafleur, as opposed to ordering a new trial, will make the appeal process difficult.
While fighting the criminal case on the perjury charge, Lafleur launched a $3.5 million civil suit against Montreal police and the Crown.
That case has yet to be resolved.
