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MONTREAL — Lawyers for Montreal billionaire Robert Miller asked a judge on Tuesday for a delay in his sex crimes case, arguing that his frail health makes it difficult to discuss the Crown’s evidence with him.
The 81-year-old founder of Future Electronics was arrested in May on 21 sex-related counts involving 10 complainants, many of them minors at the time of the alleged offences between 1994 and 2016. One of the alleged victims was under the age of 14.
Miller, who has denied the allegations, is charged with sexual assault, sexual interference, enticing a person to commit prostitution, sexual exploitation and sexual intercourse for consideration with a minor.
In Quebec court on Tuesday, Crown attorney Myriam Corbeil told Judge Mélanie Hébert she was ready to set a trial date, estimating the case against Miller would require about five weeks.
Miller’s defence lawyers asked that the case be delayed as their client remains extremely ill and bedridden, adding that reviewing the evidence with him is complicated.
“We are still in what we call the intake phase,” lawyer Isabella Teolis told the court. “Baby steps doesn’t begin to describe the situation.”
Hébert put off the case until Dec. 12.
Defence attorneys Teolis and Nicholas St-Jacques are also awaiting further evidence disclosure and want to examine the documents before deciding whether they will seek a trial by jury or judge alone.
Corbeil told the judge the case is mainly testimonial and the additional disclosure won’t change the essence of the Crown’s presentation.
Miller is battling Parkinson’s disease. St-Jacques noted that to go over the volume of evidence with him would take about two-and-a-half months if it was done on a full-time basis, a frequency she said isn’t possible given his condition.
A Quebec Superior Court judge declined in June to hear the application for a stay of proceedings, saying the issue of whether Miller is capable of standing trial can be decided by a trial judge.
Miller stepped down as chairman and CEO of Future Electronics in February 2023, saying he would focus on protecting his reputation and his health issues. He is facing separate allegations in a proposed class-action lawsuit by dozens of women who claim he gave them money and gifts in exchange for sex between 1996 and 2006, when they were minors.
As many as 50 alleged victims are involved in the lawsuit, with a hearing on authorization expected in the coming months or early 2025. Miller denies the charges, which have not been tested in court.
The hearing on Tuesday also involved the case against Teresita Fuentes, an alleged accomplice of Miller. Fuentes, 67, is facing a charge of procuring sexual services in connection with one of Miller’s alleged victims.
Valérie Abdelahad-Acosta, a lawyer representing Fuentes, told the court her client is also facing health problems and set to undergo surgery for a medical issue. Fuentes resides at the same address as Miller.
In her case, which is separate from Miller’s but part of the same police investigation, Corbeil told the court the Crown’s office is ready to proceed with a three-day trial.
Defence lawyers for Fuentes and Miller declined to comment following the joint court hearing on Tuesday. Both cases will return before a judge on Dec. 12.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2024.
Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press