Corruption charges stayed against Normandeau

A judge has granted a stay of proceedings in the case of former Quebec deputy premier Nathalie Normandeau and her co-accused on corruption-related charges.

Quebec court Judge Andre Perreault ruled today that there had been unreasonable delays in getting the case to trial.

The former provincial Liberal politician and five others were arrested in March 2016 by the province's anti-corruption unit on charges including fraud, corruption and breach of trust.

Normandeau and her co-accused argued in July that delays in the case were unreasonable, citing a 2016 Supreme Court of Canada decision that set strict timelines for trials.

Five of the original charges against Normandeau and her co-accused had already been withdrawn, but the Crown wanted to proceed to trial on three counts, including breach of trust and fraud against the government.

The ruling today puts an end to the proceedings against Normandeau, her former chief of staff Bruno Lortie, ex-Roche engineer firm officials Marc-Yvan Cote, Mario W. Martel and France Michaud as well Francois Roussy, the former mayor of Gaspe, Que.