The federal Minister of Justice has ordered a new appeal in Saskatchewan case following a conviction review.

This is the case of Odelia and Neressa Quewezance. In 1994, the two sisters were convicted of second-degree murder in connection to the death of 70-year-old Anthony Dolff of Kamsack, Sask. They were sentenced to life in prison. The sisters were granted a conditional release in 2023 and were in the process of a judicial review of their convictions.

In a news release the federal government says the decision to order a new appeal is not a decision about the guilt or innocence of the applicants. It is a decision to return the matter to the courts where the new relevant legal issues may be determined according to the law.

After an in-depth review, the Minister found reasonable grounds to conclude that a miscarriage of justice likely occurred in Odelia and Neressa Quewezance’s 1994 convictions. This is the result of the identification of new information that was not before the courts at the time of their trial or appeal. The order returns the case to the courts for the new information to be considered.