66-month prison sentence for a bribe of SNC-Lavalin

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Michel Fournier has accepted a bribe of ecu 2 345 million $ of SNC-Lavalin at the time when he was the CEO of the federal bridge Corporation.

Michael Nguyen

Thursday, 24 August, 2017 22:04

UPDATE
Thursday, 24 August, 2017 22:04

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Crime does not pay, has been severely taught the ex-CEO of the federal bridge Corporation, who has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for having accepted$ 2.34 Million in bribes from SNC-Lavalin, despite his salary more than enviable.

“Your situation is very sad : you had the prestige, financial security, a salary [of $ 200,000 per year] that only 0.5 % of the canadian population can have,” commented the judge Manlio Del Negro before sending Michel Fournier at the penitentiary on Thursday at the palais de justice of Montreal.

Fournier, 65 years old, is well past high public servant to a prisoner, after having pleaded guilty to fraud against the government and proceeds of crime.

Swiss accounts

In the early 2000s, the deck of the Jacques-Cartier bridge had to be repaired. To ensure that the contract of $ 127 million, the engineering consulting firm SNC-Lavalin paid a bribe to Fournier.

“Payments totaling $ 2 345 230 $ have been paid […] in swiss bank accounts through a third party called Promotag, and the use of false agreements of consulting services abroad “, said mr. Louis-Philippe Meek-Baillot of the Crown.

Over the course of its investigation, the royal Canadian mounted police has discovered that Fournier had tried to make money through stock market investments at risk, without success.

Almost all blazed

Of all the money received illegally, it remains only 775 000 $, which have been seized by the authorities.

“The justice has the long arm, at the end : you have lost, justice is taking what you have left,” commented the magistrate.

With the sentence of five and a half years of incarceration, as suggested both by Me Marc-Antoine Carette of the defense that by My Meek-Baillot and Brigitte Bélair of the Crown, the judge wants to send the message that those who would like to imitate Fournier will be caught and will pay the price.

“We can never forgive a bad deed,” said the accused.

No employee of SNC-Lavalin has been charged in this case. Contacted by The Newspaper, a spokesman for the consulting engineering firm, said that the people involved no longer worked for SNC-Lavalin ” for a long time “.

What they said

“[The award] sends the message that the economic crimes are punished severely. “

– Louis – Philippe Meek-Baillot, Crown counsel

“You regret your actions, but it is too late to repair the damage caused not only to society, but also to yourself. “

“You’ve had the chance to take your pension at age 55, with a pension, while many have to work after age 65. “

“Increasingly, we see people like you who hijack [the money] to their benefit, by their functions. We must send the message that if others want to imitate you, they will get caught. “

– The judge Manlio Del Negro

“[Michel Fournier] had a very nice career that ended on a very bad note, and he regretted it bitterly. “

– Marc-Antoine Carette, a defence lawyer