To: DeplorableIrredeemableRedneck who wrote (10217 ) 8/24/2006 10:00:05 AM From: DeplorableIrredeemableRedneck Respond to of 37510 Former BDC head sacked by Martin reinstated by court TU THANH HA Globe and Mail Updatetheglobeandmail.com MONTREAL — Michel Vennat, the controversial former head of the Business Development Bank of Canada who was fired by Paul Martin, has won a court bid to overturn his dismissal from the bank. The decision by the Federal Court of Canada effectively puts into the hands of the current Conservative government the fate of Mr. Vennat, a supporter of Jean Chrétien. The judgment was to be released by 8 p.m. Wednesday after a synopsis of the ruling was mistakenly made public during the afternoon. Mr. Vennat was sacked in 2004 by Mr. Martin, who was then the prime minister. Mr. Vennat was one of four Chrétien loyalists who were pushed out of top jobs at Crown corporations because of scandals and controversies. The decision by Mr. Justice Simon Noël of the Federal Court on Mr. Vennat's application was initially to be released Thursday morning. However, court officials emailed a media advisory Wednesday afternoon that accidentally included a decision summary stating that it would grant Mr. Vennat's request. “The application for judicial review is allowed and the matter is referred back to the Governor in Council,” the summary said, alluding to the decrees that suspended Mr. Vennat without pay and terminated his appointment as president and CEO of the BDC. “The Applicant was not treated fairly considering all the circumstances and the applicable case law,” the summary also said. In a similar situation last year, Via Rail chairman Jean Pelletier, another Chrétien confidant who was similarly dismissed by the Martin government, also won in Federal Court of Canada. The court ordered Mr. Pelletier reinstated in a November of 2005 ruling that said he had been denied due process. The Martin government appealed the decision and fired Mr. Pelletier again the following month.