The Supreme Court of Canada issued a ruling Friday admonishing the Quebec Court of Appeal for “misguidedly” accusing a lower court of holding a secret trial when “no secret trial was held in this case.”
‘The very concept of ‘secret trial’ does not exist in Canada,’ says top court in 9-0 decision
The Supreme Court of Canada issued a ruling Friday admonishing the Quebec Court of Appeal for “misguidedly” accusing a lower court of holding a secret trial when “no secret trial was held in this case.”
In a unanimous decision, all nine justices on Canada’s top court said “the very concept of ‘secret trial’ does not exist in Canada.
“That expression could in fact have suggested that [an unnamed person] had been convicted following a secret criminal proceeding,” the ruling said. “That state of affairs alarmed the public and the media.”
“It also jeopardized public confidence in the justice system,” it said.
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