MONTREAL — The railway at the heart of the Lac-Megantic tragedy five years ago will not have to stand trial for criminal negligence causing the death of 47 people, Crown officials in Quebec said Tuesday. Prosecutors weren’t convinced they could obtain a guilty verdict against the now-bankrupt Montreal Maine and Atlantic Railway, Crown spokesman Robert Benoit said in an interview. One of the reasons for believing that, he said, is the acquittal in January of three former MMA railway employees who were charged with criminal negligence in the tragedy. “The (Crown) was no longer reasonably convinced it could obtain a conviction against the company,” Benoit said. The defunct company was not represented by a lawyer in the criminal negligence case.

Source: National Post April 03, 2018 16:18 UTC