Canada’s federal justice minister is ordering a new trial for Jacques Delisle, a former Quebec judge who was convicted in the first-degree murder of his wife in 2012.
The order from David Lametti follows an “extensive review” of the case, according to a statement issued Wednesday by the Department of Justice.
“The minister’s decision that there is a reasonable basis to conclude that a miscarriage of justice likely occurred is the result of the identification of new information that was not before the courts at the time of Mr. Delisle’s trial or appeal,” the statement reads.
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Retired Quebec judge Jacques Delisle convicted of murder to remain in prison pending case review
Delisle, 86, will have to stand a new trial in Quebec Superior Court in relation to the 2009 death of his wife, Nicole Rainville. He was convicted of first-degree murder in 2012 and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
The former judge’s conviction was upheld on appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear his case.
Delisle has claimed he was wrongly convicted due to a judicial error.
— With files from The Canadian Press