OTTAWA - The operating methods and legal duties of Canada's spy service were on trial Thursday as accused terrorist Adil Charkaoui carried his case to the country's top court for a second time.
Lawyers for Charkaoui told the Supreme Court of Canada the case against him should be quashed because his rights were violated by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
At issue are interviews CSIS has entered in evidence against Charkaoui as part of an effort to prove he's an al Qaeda operative and should be deported as a threat to national security.
The original notes and tapes of the interviews were destroyed and only general summaries retained, in keeping with standard service policy.
Critics say that breaches the rules of fundamental justice. Civil liberties groups want the court to go beyond the immediate case at hand and set new rules that could change the way CSIS operates.
Charkaoui and two other men successfully challenged other aspects of national security law last year on constitutional grounds, but that didn't put an end to their personal legal battles.
The high court has reserved judgment in the latest case and set no date for a ruling.
