Military police charged retired Lt. Gen. Trevor Cadieu committed two counts of sexual assault, three months after the longtime officer hung up his uniform and headed to Ukraine while still under criminal investigation.
The cases were announced Wednesday by Canada’s military police chief, Brigadier-General Simon Trudeau, Canadian Forces Provost Marshal, and relate to incidents that allegedly took place in 1994 at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont.
Trevor Cadieu, who has previously denied any wrongdoing, is due to take over as commander of the Canadian army in September. A veteran of Bosnia and Afghanistan, he recently provided analysis and advice to the Chief of the Defense Staff.
But his appointment as army commander was postponed while military police investigated what was described as historical claims against him, which Trevor Cadieu called wrong in a statement at the time.
He then retired in early April as the investigation continued. Sources who were not authorized to comment on his whereabouts said he traveled to Ukraine to help fight the Russian aggression.
Trevor Cadieu said in a statement: I have just been informed that CFNIS has charged me [Service national des enquêtes des Forces canadiennes]. I am making arrangements to return to Canada from Ukraine, and I will continue to work with this process, as I did in the beginning.
Meanwhile, Mr. Trudeau defended the decision to charge Trevor Cadieu by military police in light of an appeal by retired Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbor for the transfer of criminal sex investigations from the military authorities to the authorities.
The Provost Marshal noted that Ms Arbor was leaving the door open to hand over the investigations to the military police if they were nearing completion, added: Because this investigation was nearing completion, the concurrent jurisdiction civilian police service chose not to accept it.
A similar decision was made in the case of retired Vice-Admiral Haydn Edmundson. The army’s former human resources chief was charged in December with a number of sexual assaults and a number of indecent acts, and his trial is scheduled for August 2023.
Trevor Cadieu’s case will be heard by the civil justice system.
One of many surveys
He was one of several high-ranking commanders investigated by military police for alleged sexual misconduct over the past two years.
These allegations forced the military to realize its inability to address inappropriate behavior. They also drew criticism of the Liberal government’s handling of the issue and called for more external military oversight.
Trevor Cadieu enthusiastically denied any wrongdoing in a statement last fall, saying: The allegations are false, but they need to be thoroughly investigated to expose the truth. He said he provided information to investigators to prove he was innocent.
The retired officer at the time also said he had asked General Eyre to select someone else to serve as Commander of the Canadian Army, adding: I know that these misrepresentations, as expected, will create doubts about my ability to lead in this environment.
Departure to Ukraine
Trevor Cadieu’s decision to travel to Ukraine followed General Eyre’s order banning members of the Canadian Armed Forces from joining the thousands of foreigners who flocked to the country to help fight Russian aggression.
Russia has reportedly threatened criminal prosecution for any foreigner caught fighting in Ukraine, while a senior Canadian official last month raised the specter of Moscow’s attempt to use captured foreign fighters for for propaganda purposes.
The Canadian Press
Source: Radio-Canada
