The Sureté du Quebec officer that struck another car and killed a child will stand trial.
Patrick Ouellet was in a Longueuil courtroom Tuesday to argue the case should be thrown out because the Crown was abusing its powers.
His lawyer argued that Quebec Justice Minister Stephanie Vallée had interfered in the case, and as a result the charges should be dropped and the criminal case should be ended.
However Judge Denys Noel said that Vallée had not abused her position.
On Feb. 13, 2014, Ouellet was driving an unmarked car in Longueuil when he collided with a car making a left hand turn.
Five-year-old Nicholas Belance Thorne- was in the back seat and died from injuries sustained in the collision.
After evaluating the Crown initially declined to lay charges, saying that Mike Belance had made a risky maneuver when he turned left across a busy intersection when he had a solid green light instead of a priority green light.
It was only later revealed that the SQ officer was driving more than 120 km/h in a 50 km/h zone, was not using his lights or sirens, and was one of four police vehicles tailing a former director of the Liberal party -- information the prosecutors' office (DPCP) did not know.
Upon learning this information, Vallée ordered an independent commission to re-evaluate the case, and that commission said charges were warranted.
In court Tuesday the judge said the independent commission acted without being pressured by the Minister, as did the DPCP in deciding to lay charges.
"The chief prosecutor did proceed under his own power without any pressure, without consideration or influence from outside and it was a good decision," said DPCP spokesperson Jean-Pascal Boucher.
Following Tuesday's ruling, Ouellet and his lawyer left the courthouse without commenting.
The trial is scheduled to begin in June 2018.
