Quebec won't challenge $385,000 awarded to Jean Charest

Quebec -

The Quebec government says it won't appeal a judgment last month awarding $385,000 to former premier Jean Charest after he sued the province for invasion of privacy.

A Superior Court judge sided with Charest in the case involving leaked details about a police investigation into alleged illegal Liberal party financing during his tenure as premier.

The former premier and recent candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada was never charged in the investigation and has said the 2017 leaks tarnished his reputation and affected him personally.

The province says it will, however, contest the roughly $700,000 claim Charest recently filed for abuse of process in connection with his lawsuit.

Charest, who became Quebec Liberal leader in 1998 and was premier from 2003 to 2012, says the attorney general used stalling tactics during the proceedings and that its conduct was abusive from start to finish.

In February 2022, Quebec's anti-corruption police closed its eight-year investigation into allegations of Charest-era illegal Liberal party financing without laying any charges.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 16, 2023