Judge to oversee inquiry into arrest of Camara
A Quebec Superior Court justice has been named to head an inquiry into the bungled arrest by Montreal police of Mamadi Fara Camara, who was charged with attempted murder only to see all charges against him dropped six days after being taken into custody.
In a brief statement issued Tuesday, Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault announced that Justice Louis Dionne will preside over the inquiry, scheduled to begin Feb. 22. The inquiry will aim at “allowing us to better understand events, identify the difficulties that may arise in this type of investigation and, above all, if necessary, find concrete solutions to correct the shortcomings,” the statement said.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante on Tuesday tweeted her support of Guilbault, saying the “investigation meets the desired objectives of a neutral investigation of the entire process leading to the confirmation of Mr. Camara's innocence.”
She promised the cooperation of the city of Montreal and added: “We must continue our efforts to find the criminal who undermined the safety of police officer Sanjay Vig.”
While Guilbault's statement clearly identifies the Montreal police department as the focus of the inquiry, no mention is made of the role played by the Crown prosecutor's office (DPCP) in the process of Camara being charged and then having the charges against him abruptly stayed.
However, soon after the minister's announcement was published, the DPCP announced it would be offering its full cooperation and that it had initiated an independent inquiry that will examine “the circumstances that led to the decisions being taken in this dossier at the various stages of the judicial process with regard to the applicable legal standards and principles.”
On Jan. 28, a Montreal police officer was attacked and disarmed by an assailant during a traffic stop in the Parc-extension district of Montreal. Despite the fact he was among those who called police to the scene via 911 and was found not to be in possession of the officer's stolen weapon, Camara was later arrested and charged the next day with attempted murder in connection with the attack.
After six days in custody, Camara only learned during his bail hearing that the Crown would be staying all charges against him in the light of new evidence. The evidence — a traffic surveillance camera video that had already been viewed by investigators — showed the presence of a third person at the scene when it was reviewed.
Montreal police chief Sylvain Caron issued a formal apology two days later to Camara for his wrongful arrest and detention.
Dionne's inquiry, the results of which may in whole or in part be made public depending on the results of the criminal investigation to find the person who attacked the traffic police officer, has been given a deadline of five months to produce its report.