Guy Laliberté, Canada’s richest founder of Cirque du Soleil, was fined nearly $25,000 (16,600 euros) for possessing cannabis on his private island in Tuamotu, French Polynesia.
Questioned Tuesday by jurors in the trial, Guy Laliberte explained that he suffered from chronic pain thanks to its active ingredient, THC.
“I don’t like smoking […] I will do [sic] oils and honey and I take them as an infusion,” the artist and businessman declared, while noting that he consumed them “mainly for medicinal” purposes. As he pointed out, it’s legal in Canada.
“There is a problem with giving instructions in a country where production, consumption and use are formally prohibited,” replied lawyer Yann Hausner.
Criminal Court Mr. It acquitted Laliberte of part of the charges, but found him guilty of possession and use.
In 2019, one of the employees of Nukutepipi, where Guy Laliberté built luxury bungalows, was arrested in Tahiti for possessing cannabis for other employees on the isolated island.
Guy Laliberte’s island, which was purchased from a Japanese company in 2007, is located about 750 kilometers from Tahiti.
Photo taken from Sunset Luxury Villa website
On the employee’s phone, police found photos of a container containing 48 cannabis plants. The container allowed all kinds of crops and, according to one of the staff, was intended to ensure the island’s “food autonomy”.
According to him, 48 plants were used as a trial, but “the first harvest did not take place” due to the intervention of gendarmes.
The infinity pool is a big plus.
Photo taken from Sunset Luxury Villa website
Mr. Laliberte, Mr.e Yves Piriou and Parisian lawyer Jean-Yves Le Borgne argued for his release. “We wanted to make ourselves millionaires […] An average citizen would not have had the same treatment,” lamented Mr.e Brio.
Me Le Bourgne held that there was no evidence to prove his client’s guilt. He also discussed the evolution of law in various countries like Germany.
“A judgment of punishment never equates to satisfaction […] The problem is to know what the consequences of this belief will be in his international career,” said Mr.e Jean-Yves Le Borgne after the trial.
Mr. Laliberte is a frequent visitor to the United States, a country that is very careful about the legal records of non-citizens who want to cross its borders.
“Music geek. Coffee lover. Devoted food scholar. Web buff. Passionate internet guru.”
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