HALIFAX -- A hearing to seek the release of evidence that led to the acquittal of a Nova Scotia man who was wrongfully convicted of murder has been set for early this summer.
Sixty-three-year-old Glen Assoun -- who served almost 17 years in jail -- was acquitted March 1 of second-degree murder in the 1995 death of 28-year-old Brenda Way.
The federal justice minister quashed Assoun's conviction and ordered a new trial, but Nova Scotia prosecutors decided not to offer evidence.
Documents leading to the decision by Justice Minister David Lametti have been sealed since a preliminary federal assessment led to Assoun's release on bail on Oct. 8, 2014.
Justice James Chipman later ruled against releasing the assessment, saying allowing the public access to the evidence while an investigation was still underway could harm the administration of justice.
However, the CBC, The Canadian Press, and the Halifax Examiner have joined in a motion to have the information released now that the final ministerial review is complete and Assoun has been acquitted.
A date of July 2 has been set by the Nova Scotia Supreme Court for a hearing, with the Crown, the federal Justice Department and Innocence Canada lawyers also parties to the proceedings.
