Ontario Crown Counsel Stops Private Prosecution of Trudeau Over SNC-Lavalin Scandal

Ontario Crown Counsel Stops Private Prosecution of Trudeau Over SNC-Lavalin Scandal
Then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to the media during a press conference in Montreal, on Feb. 27, 2025. The Canadian Press/Christinne Muschi
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Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General has stopped a private prosecution of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for alleged obstruction of justice and breach of trust regarding accusations that he pressured his former justice minister to halt a criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin.
In February, watchdog group Democracy Watch had filed an application in the Ontario Court of Justice in Ottawa for approval from the court to proceed with the private prosecution of Trudeau over the SNC-Lavalin affair. A private prosecution is a criminal proceeding initiated by an individual private citizen or private organization instead of by a public prosecutor who represents the state.