In Quebec, a significant criminal case involving an alleged drug trafficking network faces potential disruption due to a revelation that one of the Crown prosecutors involved had a romantic relationship with a member of the defense team during pre-trial proceedings. The disclosure, which was initially disclosed in La Presse and documented in court records, exposed that prosecutor Alice Bourbonnais-Rougeau initially misled her superiors about her intimate involvement with defense attorney Mathieu Rondeau-Poissant. Both individuals were representing opposing sides in a case against eight individuals accused of operating an online cannabis trafficking network linked to organized crime.
The accused were apprehended in January 2024, and various pre-trial hearings have taken place since then. Court documents indicate that Bourbonnais-Rougeau and Rondeau-Poissant’s relationship began in December of the previous year and terminated in May. Bourbonnais-Rougeau confessed in a note to her supervisor on June 4 that she had engaged in intimate relations with Rondeau-Poissant on two occasions during lunch breaks in December 2024, acknowledging that it was not a wise decision. She later admitted that the relationship continued beyond December in a revised version of the note sent the following day.
The unfolding of events has cast doubt on the future of the case, with defense lawyers considering a motion to dismiss proceedings citing the conflict of interest and potential exchange of privileged information. Despite Bourbonnais-Rougeau’s assertion that the relationship did not impact the case, the defense team aims to present arguments for the dismissal of the case at an upcoming hearing.
Notably, this is not the first time Bourbonnais-Rougeau has faced scrutiny for her actions. In a separate incident in 2023, she was convicted of drunk driving and fleeing the scene of an accident. Despite appealing the conviction in Superior Court unsuccessfully, she is currently pursuing an appeal before the Quebec Court of Appeal, which could have implications for her legal career. The Quebec Crown prosecutor’s office declined to comment on the ongoing case involving Bourbonnais-Rougeau, emphasizing her detachment from the specific case in question.