Ex-PQ boss DUI arrest

Photo: The Canadian Press

Former PQ chief Andre Boisclair exits a police station in Quebec City, on Thursday.

There are reports former Parti Quebecois leader Andre Boisclair has been arrested for allegedly driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Cogeco Nouvelles reported today that Quebec City police arrested Boisclair shortly after midnight.

Police have not confirmed Boisclair, 51, is the person they arrested but TV footage showed the ex-politician leaving a Quebec City police station just before noon today.

Earlier in the day, a clerk at the local courthouse said a name matching Boisclair's was on a list of people expected to appear but a charge sheet was not immediately available.

Police spokesman Etienne Doyon says authorities arrested a 51-year-old man for suspected drunk driving after a car struck a lamppost.

Police allege the man also refused a breathalyzer, obstructed justice and intimidated someone associated with the judicial system. Doyon says the man was released late this morning on a promise to appear in court at a later date.

Boisclair was a longtime provincial politician who served as PQ leader between November 2005 and May 2007.

He quit after a disappointing showing in the 2007 election in which the PQ finished third.