OFF THE WIRE
BY: Brian Daly
QMI Agency
torontosun.com
The Quebec attorney general's office took the rare step Friday of defending the integrity of a superior court judge whose son-in-law is linked to a Hells Angels biker and alleged murderer.
Media reports have said the husband of Judge James Brunton's daughter has done business with Hells Angels leader Normand "Casper" Ouimet, who is currently on trial before the very same judge.
Ouimet faces 22 counts of murder as well as charges of extortion, fraud and money laundering.
Brunton's son-in-law, Louis-Philippe Brosseau, said his company had a contract with a firm in which the Hells owned shares.
Brosseau denied he ever worked directly with any bikers, and the attorney general's office said a provincial police investigation confirmed that the judge is not involved.
"Nothing calls into question Judge Brunton's integrity or disqualifies him from presiding over this trial," the attorney general's office said in a statement Friday.
The office also denied a media report that said it had appointed a special prosecutor to look into the allegations.
Brunton is presiding over a trial of more than 100 Hells Angels members and associates, including Ouimet, who were targeted by Project SharQc, a massive 2009 operation targeting the biker organization.
Ouimet initially evaded the sweep, but was arrested last November after 18 months on the lam.
Earlier this year, Brunton released 31 of the bikers after ruling that they had spent too much time behind bars awaiting trial.
COMMENT
him from presiding over this trial," the attorney general's office said
in a statement Friday." That does not matter one bit, this is a BLATANT conflict of interest. Anyone of character would not allow themselves to be put into such a situation.