The federal ministry says it continues to work with SNC-Lavalin as criminal charges against the construction and engineering giant stem from allegations made 20 years ago.
“The Canadian government is committed to taking action against inappropriate, unethical and illegal business practices and holding companies accountable for such misconduct,” the Department of Public Works said. black rock reporter It was released on August 17th.
“The indictment, filed in September 2021, concerns allegations of wrongdoing 20 years ago.”
SNC-Lavalin, along with two former senior executives, were indicted under the Canadian Penal Code on charges including fraud, counterfeiting and conspiracy to defraud the government, the RCMP announced on September 23 last year.
The engineering giant pleaded guilty to the charges the same day, saying that “crimes that would have occurred between 1997 and 2004” were related to the Jacques Cartier bridge renovation project, a $128 million contract, and its 50 was a consortium partner of
At the time, the company Directeur des poursuites crimineles et pénales (DPCP), Quebec’s Royal Prosecutor’s Office, negotiates a remedies agreement widely known as a “Deferred Prosecution Agreement”.
A deferred prosecution agreement was introduced under Canadian law by the Liberal government in September 2018. This allows corporate crime charges to be dropped if the accused company agrees to fulfill certain promises demanded by the royal family.
“this is [the] SNC-Lavalin said in a September 23, 2021 press release that it is the first time a Canadian company has received an invitation to negotiate such a deal.
“Jailbreak Card”
May 11, SNC-Lavalin announced A Quebec Superior Court approved a remediation agreement with the DPCP, making it the first Canadian company to win an out-of-court settlement under new provisions of the Criminal Code.
According to a briefing note from the public works department, its employees viewed the company as a trusted partner.
“SNC-Lavalin provides a range of architectural and engineering services to support Department of Public Works real estate projects,” the memo said. “The contract has been concluded.”
In December 2019, SNC-Lavalin pleaded guilty to fraud and was fined $280 million for bribes paid to win a construction contract in Libya. In June 2020, the company was ordered by the Canadian Competition Bureau to pay $1.9 million in bid rigging for municipal infrastructure contracts in Quebec between 2003 and 2012.
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, Conservative MP Dan Albas warned the Financial Standing Committee in 2018 that the DPA would only encourage bad corporate behavior.
“Deferred prosecution agreements basically allow us to have no liability in court,” Albus said.
“Big companies can get jailbreak cards for free.”
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Isaac Teo is a Toronto-based reporter for the Epoch Times.