The court is not amused: Que. judge rejects royal privilege argument

An attempt to invoke royal privilege in a Canadian courtroom has been rejected by a judge.

Quebec Superior Court is unswayed by arguments that the province's former lieutenant-governor should be granted immunity from fraud charges.

Marc Labelle, the lawyer for Lise Thibault, hadargued that his client benefits from a sovereign immunity, meaning the Crown's prosecution cannot prosecute the Crown.

Superior Court disagreed and says Thibault's trial will proceed on Sept. 10.

Thibault, who served as the lieutenant-governor from 1997 to 2007, has pleaded not guilty totwo counts each of breach of trust, fraud and creating false or counterfeit documents.

The auditors-general of Quebec and Canada concluded in a joint report in 2007 that Thibault was reimbursed for $700,000 in expenses that were not related to her mandate.