‘Destroyed’ by investigation, Guy Ouellette sues Quebec government for $550,000

A member of the Quebec legislature who says he was “destroyed” after being targeted by Quebec’s anti-corruption police is suing the provincial government for $550,000.

Guy Ouellette is demanding $250,000 for harm to his reputation, $200,000 for moral prejudice and $100,000 in monetary losses, according to court documents filed by his lawyer in Quebec Superior Court.

READ MORE: Quebec MNA Guy Ouellette ousted from the Quebec Liberal Party caucus

Ouellette, who won his suburban Montreal riding for the Liberals in the Oct. 1 election, was later kicked out of caucus for allegedly leaking embarrassing information to a rival political party.

The Liberals, who lost the election to François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec, said he had lost their trust after Legault confirmed on the campaign trail that Ouellette had been the source of a 2016 leak about a Liberal partisan nomination.

Ouellette’s lawsuit concerns another controversial episode he was involved in.

READ MORE: Couillard defends Liberal candidate who allegedly leaked info to rivals

In October 2017, Ouellette was arrested by Quebec’s anti-corruption unit, known as UPAC, on suspicion he was responsible for leaking sensitive information about an investigation to the media.

The leak revealed UPAC had been investigating the comings and goings of ex-premier Jean Charest and Liberal fundraiser Marc Bibeau up until 2016.

Ouellette has denied the claims, and he was never charged.

His lawsuit claims the investigation into the UPAC leaks was “seriously faulty and affected by an indisputable carelessness.” The investigation “literally destroyed the plaintiff, his reputation, his political career, the trust of his political party and dealt a blow to his health,” it continues.

Ouellette, 66, is a former provincial police officer who first ran for office in 2007.

In more than 30 years with the provincial police, he became one of Canada’s leading biker gang investigators and a frequent expert witness at organized crime trials.