The RCMP formally apologized Friday for the wrongful arrest and prosecution of John Hudak, a former Alberta RCMP officer, in a sexual assault case.
"The RCMP sincerely regrets the impact the 2000 investigation of this matter had and continues to have on John Hudak and his family," RCMP Deputy Commissioner Rod Knecht said in a press release.
John Hudak, seen in a 2004 CBC documentary, received rare public apologies from the RCMP and the Alberta government for damaging his reputation.
(CBC)
"I am of the view that Mr. Hudak is innocent of any wrongdoing whatsoever associated to this case.… John is a highly respected and valued former member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police."
The RCMP and Alberta Justice are both sending personal written apologies to Hudak as part of an out-of-court settlement reached last week. The former Mountie also receives an undisclosed amount of money.
While posted in Rocky Mountain House, northwest of Calgary, an emergency room nurse accused Hudak of raping her. He was acquitted in 2002, and the woman was later convicted of perjury and fabricating evidence.
But the allegations plagued Hudak after he transferred to two RCMP detachments and he felt forced to quit the force after 24 years. Hudak launched a $5-million lawsuit against the RCMP and Alberta Justice for damaging his reputation.
Ron Stevens, Alberta's justice minister, publicly apologized to Hudak on Wednesday for a prosecution "that never should have continued."
Stevens said Hudak's case changed how the Crown deals with allegations against police officers. The province now assigns senior prosecutors to review those files, as well as handing them over to prosecutors outside the area where allegations occurred.
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