The Law Society of Alberta has announced that former justice minister Kaycee Madu is set to face sanctions after a committee found him guilty of conduct detrimental to the administration of justice. The specific penalties have yet to be determined.
The scrutiny stems from Madu’s phone call to Edmonton’s police chief following a traffic ticket he received in 2021 while serving as justice minister. The law society cited Madu’s actions as undermining public respect for judicial processes during a hearing that took place in June.
According to the report released Tuesday, while Madu claimed his call to Chief Dale McFee was unrelated to the ticket, he expressed concerns about potential racial profiling by the officer who issued it. Madu stated he sought reassurance regarding the officer’s conduct rather than attempting to influence the ticket’s outcome.
The committee, however, found that Madu’s argument lacked supporting evidence and viewed the call as an attempt to leverage his position to address a personal matter. “Far from encouraging public respect for the administration of justice, Mr. Madu’s conduct is reasonably perceived as sidestepping the process entirely, thereby eroding public confidence in the legal profession,” the report stated.
Madu’s actions, the committee noted, failed to meet the ethical standards expected of someone in his esteemed position. As one of Alberta’s most senior lawyers, Madu was expected to exemplify integrity and uphold public trust. The report emphasized that his responsibilities necessitated avoiding even the appearance of impropriety.
The law society committee will reconvene to determine an appropriate sanction, which could range from suspension to disbarment. The timeline for this decision remains unclear, as the Law Society of Alberta did not immediately respond to inquiries.
Madu, who was removed from his justice minister role by former Premier Jason Kenney following the revelations in 2022, later served as labor minister and briefly held the position of deputy premier under Premier Danielle Smith. In the 2023 election, he lost his re-election bid in the Edmonton-South West riding to NDP candidate Nathan Ip and has since transitioned to private legal practice.
Source: Swifteradio.com
