Sudbury businessman Gerry Lougheed Jr. and former provincial Liberal campaign director Patricia Sorbara should know next month when their trial on bribery charges will begin.
In Sudbury court Wednesday, the parties agreed to return to court Feb. 8 to set a trial date. About four weeks have been set aside in early summer for the court proceedings.
A judicial pre-trial hearing, which is not open to the public, will be held via a teleconference Jan. 24.
Lougheed and Sorbara face Elections Act charges related to the controversial byelection in Sudbury in February 2015, won by now Energy Minister Glenn Thibeault.
A criminal case against Lougheed was thrown out last year.
The current charges were laid in November 2016. Lougheed faces one charge in connection to a conversation he had with former Liberal candidate Andrew Olivier in which he attempted to convince Olivier to support Thibeault.
Sorbara is also charged with bribery in connection to attempting to get Olivier to withdraw from the race. She's also charged with attempting to bribe Thibeault to leave the NDP and run for the Liberals.
The latter charge led to controversy in November, when Vern Brewer, of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, told reporters Thibeault sought benefits to run for office.
Thibeault strongly denied that, and the public prosecutor later issued a statement that said Brewer didn't mean to imply that Thibeault had done anything illegal.
The case returns to court in Sudbury on Feb. 8 at 10 a.m.
