Ottawa — RCMP anti-corruption investigators say they are investigating the possibility of dubious practices by several Canadian companies operating in parts of Africa, Eastern Europe and South America.
Companies involved in mining, infrastructure, aviation, railroads, engineering and technology are vulnerable to corruption, including paying bribes to secure contracts, said Mounties, a military secret international research division. I am.
“These are all endangered sectors,” said Sergeant Staff. Stephanie Rousseau, Deputy Officer in charge of the section’s foreign anti-corruption team.
The team is responsible for investigating any misconduct that may violate the corruption laws of foreign civil servants in Canada. This allows RCMP to charge individuals or businesses if they have a substantive connection with Canada.
Rousseau hopes that Canadian companies will become more aware of the consequences of illegal activity abroad.
“And we know it’s not the way to do business,” she said in a recent interview with other team members.
Mounties has another important message for Canadian companies. If they detect potential fraud in your business, please inform RCMP.
Companies are now adding incentives to do so, says Mountains.
Federal law passed in 2018 provided prosecutors with a tool known as a corrective agreement to deal with the economic crimes of various businesses. The idea is to hold the organization accountable for fraud and avoid some of the fallout from criminal convictions against employees, shareholders, and others who did nothing wrong.
Companies must be responsible for fraud, pay financial fines, prevent recurrences, and take compliance measures to compensate victims.
Judges also need to be satisfied that the agreement is in the public interest and that the terms are fair, rational and proportional. If the judge approves the agreement, the criminal charge will be withheld.
Montreal-based engineering firm SNC-Lavalin postponed to 2019 after demanding such a deal in the face of business-related corruption and fraud charges in Libya exposed to a political storm in Ottawa The correction agreement, also known as the prosecution agreement, has become Banner News.
Still, the prospect of avoiding prosecution has pushed some Canadian companies forward, RCMP says, but the unit does not provide numbers.
“With the advent of the corrective agreement system in 2018, companies have begun self-disclosure, and several companies are being seen each year,” Rousseau said. “That’s why we want to encourage it.”
Prior to the legislation, going to the police when suspicious activity drew the attention of executives had no benefit to the company, RCMP said. Matthieu Boulanger, Anti-Corruption Investigator.
“And that was more.’Well, we sit on it, and if it’s not reported, it won’t be investigated, and you know, that’s one less thing to deal with. . ”
Now, according to Boulanger, a company could tell RCMP about the dubious emails that imply the company and the fact that foreign agents suddenly receive high fees for no good reason.
“After the investigation, you might go back to the company and say,’I don’t see any crime here. So thank you for reporting and go your cheerful path. “He said.
Also, there may be more to the claim. Ultimately, it is up to the prosecutor to decide whether the corrective agreement is justified.
Self-assessment can help companies involved in foreign fraud, but it can also make the life of a cavalry easier, as overseas corruption investigations can be complex and time-consuming.
“These are complicated cases,” said Boulanger. “So it’s not uncommon for us to investigate a particular case for three years.”
In some parts of the world, it may be difficult for RCMP police officers to obtain the required documents from foreign police officers, or there may be a large amount of information to be reviewed in the end.
“We’re talking about terabytes of data that need to be passed through to analyze and select the right one,” Rousseau said. “Sometimes it’s a little frustrating, but it’s necessary.”
Along Jim Bron Skill
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