QUEBEC CITY – Former Lieutenant Governor Lise Thibault was back in court Tuesday morning to ask the court to be released while she appeals her conviction on charges of fraud and breach of trust.
The request was granted.
READ MORE: Former Quebec lieutenant governor Lise Thibault sentenced
Thibault had been given an 18-month jail term and ordered to reimburse a total of $300,000 to Ottawa and Quebec.
Lawyer Marc Labelle told Quebec Court of Appeal Justice Jacques J. Levesque that his client’s case is unique, partly because she is 76, is confined to a wheelchair and has health problems, including anxiety attacks.
Labelle said the Quebec court judge who imposed the sentence should have taken those factors into consideration.
He also argued the judge should not have put the emphasis on making an example of Thibault just because of her position as the Queen’s representative in Quebec.
READ MORE: Former Lt.-Gov. to spend weekend in jail pending appeal
The Crown argued the case is not that unique because many high-placed officials have been sent to prison for fraud and breach of trust.
Marcel Guimont also said the detention facilities have been adapted to accommodate Thibault’s needs.
She held the vice-regal post between 1997 and 2007 and is the first ever to be sent to jail for a criminal offence.
* with files from The Canadian Press.
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