MONTREAL, Aug. 22, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - Today, Emballages Bettez inc. and the Bettez family filed an Originating Application for Damages against the Attorney General of Quebec, the Sûreté du Québec and some of their agents.
In this procedure, Emballages Bettez inc., André Bettez, Huguette Drouin and Jonathan Bettez blame the Sûreté du Québec for having ruined the family business and for having made them live through a terrible ordeal.
The Bettez family blames the Sûreté du Québec for opening an investigation targeting Jonathan Bettez in a matter of juvenile pornography with neither evidence nor a valid reason, and for an oblique motive: to feed another ongoing investigation that had stalled, that being the investigation into the disappearance and murder of Cédrika Provencher.
Among other things, it is claimed that the Sûreté du Québec and the agents responsible for the investigation led a bungled investigation by adopting "tunnel vision", leading to searches and seizures that were illegal, abusive or authorized on the basis of false or misleading information.
They are also criticized for having recommended the filing of charges related to child pornography and for having arrested Jonathan Bettez in plain daylight in front of the company's offices without a warrant and without valid grounds, in order to force Jonathan Bettez to waive his right to silence and to undergo a polygraph test in the file of the disappearance and murder of Cédrika Provencher, even though Mr. Bettez collaborated with the investigation from the outset and was prepared to undergo such a test under certain conditions.
The family alleges that the Sûreté du Québec exploited the media and the justice system, especially through the systematic release of information, all with the goal of crystallizing, in public opinion, the association between the name "Bettez" and the disappearance and murder of Cédrika Provencher, all without ever filing criminal charges against Jonathan Bettez for lack of evidence.
Moreover, the police officers implicated ignored the interests of innocent third parties, including André Bettez and Huguette Drouin, the parents of Jonathan Bettez, and the family business, deciding to intentionally target them to increase the pressure on their son.
The Bettez family claims from the Attorney General of Quebec, the Sûreté du Québec and their agents the sum of $9,454,500 in compensatory damages. They also claim punitive damages in the amount of $1,000,000.
The objective of the filing of this lawsuit is to force the Sûreté du Québec to be held accountable.
The Bettez family will not provide any interview at this time and will make no statement to the media, other than through their lawyer, in order to preserve the little private life they have left.
SOURCE BTIC avocats
Jessy Héroux, BTIC LP, 388 rue Saint-Jacques, 2nd floor, Montréal (QC), Canada, H2Y 1S1, (514) 903-4112
Share this article