No charges after investigation into leaks to media from Quebec anti-corruption police

MONTREAL — A multi-year investigation into leaks to journalists from within Quebec’s anti-corruption unit has resulted in no charges.

The Quebec prosecutor’s office says there is no basis for laying criminal charges following an analysis of evidence gathered by the province’s independent police watchdog.

The case involved leaks to the media in 2017 regarding an investigation by anti-corruption police into alleged illegal Quebec Liberal party financing when Jean Charest was party leader and premier.

Quebec’s police watchdog investigated the leaks and also whether the anti-corruption unit had committed crimes when its leadership tried to find out who had spoken to journalists about the Charest case.

In April 2023 a court ordered the Quebec government to pay $385,000 to Charest — who was never charged with a crime — because of the damage the leaks caused to his reputation.

The watchdog says that in response to the decision by the prosecutor’s office, it has closed its case into the anti-corruption unit.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 28, 2025.