QUEBEC — Former Quebec premier Jean Charest is seeking about $700,000 more from the provincial government for media leaks related to a corruption investigation targeting him and his party.
A judge already awarded him $385,000 in damages in early April after Charest sued the government because journalists were given 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 leaks tarnished his reputation and affected him personally.
In its April ruling, Quebec Superior Court gave Charest 30 days to add allegations of abuse of process to the lawsuit against the attorney general and the anti-corruption police, known as UPAC.
Charest's lawyers are claiming that the attorney general used stalling tactics during his lawsuit against the province and that their conduct was abusive from start to finish.
The former premier is now asking for an additional sum of slightly more than $700,000 — about $500,000 to pay his lawyers' fees and $200,000 in damages.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2023.
The Canadian Press
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version erroneously included a $2-million claim for punitive damages that had already been settled by the court.
