Judge Michel Girouard reviewed by judicial panel for allegedly buying cocaine
Quebec judge stopped hearing cases in November 2012, after police informant identified him as a client
A Superior Court judge from the Abitibi region is under review by a panel of his peers, following allegations he bought cocaine just two weeks before he was appointed to the bench.
The inquiry committee of the Canadian Judicial Council is hearing evidence surrounding those allegations.
Judge Michel Girouard was appointed to the bench in 2010, after 25 years of practicing as a defense lawyer.
But his career as a judge was cut short, when a former-cocaine-dealer-turned-police-informant identified the judge as a former client, from his days as a lawyer.
Girouard stopped hearing cases in November 2012, following that.
An inquiry committee of the Canadian Judicial Council will hear evidence on that allegation — that Girouard purchased an illicit substance on Sept. 17, 2010, while his application for an appointment as a judge was pending.
Girouard has contested the allegations he's facing. He has also questioned the legitimacy of the inquiry committee.