{"id":18455,"date":"2023-06-21T00:33:22","date_gmt":"2023-06-21T07:33:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/no-investigation-of-political-interference-allegations-in-snc-lavalin-affair-rcmp\/"},"modified":"2023-06-21T00:33:24","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T07:33:24","slug":"no-investigation-of-political-interference-allegations-in-snc-lavalin-affair-rcmp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/no-investigation-of-political-interference-allegations-in-snc-lavalin-affair-rcmp\/","title":{"rendered":"No investigation of political interference allegations in SNC-Lavalin affair: RCMP"},"content":{"rendered":"

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OTTAWA \u2014 The RCMP says it is not investigating allegations of political interference in the federal handling of criminal charges against engineering firm SNC-Lavalin.<\/p>\n

In a statement Monday (June 18), the Mounties set the record straight after a recent response to a public interest group\u2019s Access to Information request suggested the Mounties were conducting such a probe.<\/p>\n

In 2015, SNC-Lavalin Group and two of its affiliates, SNC-Lavalin\u00a0Construction\u00a0and SNC-Lavalin International, were charged with corruption of a foreign public official and fraud stemming from business dealings in Libya.<\/p>\n

SNC-Lavalin had unsuccessfully pressed the director of prosecutions to negotiate a special settlement \u2014 known as a remediation agreement \u2014 out of concern the company could be barred from federal contracts for a decade if convicted of criminal charges.<\/p>\n

In early 2019, the Globe and Mail newspaper reported that prime ministerial aides leaned on Jody Wilson-Raybould, who was the federal attorney general at the time, to ensure there was a deal that would avoid prosecution.<\/p>\n

Wilson-Raybould resigned from cabinet days later and was subsequently ousted from the Liberal caucus.<\/p>\n

The federal ethics watchdog concluded in August 2019 that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau violated the Conflict of Interest Act in the way he dealt with the issue.<\/p>\n

In a written response to questions from The Canadian Press, the national police force said its sensitive and international investigations unit conducted an assessment pertaining to the interference allegations.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs part of that review the RCMP spoke with and collected information from a variety of sources, and examined the matter in the most thorough, objective and professional manner,\u201d the force said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a comprehensive and impartial assessment of all available information, the RCMP determined that there was insufficient evidence to substantiate a criminal offence and the file was concluded.\u201d<\/p>\n

The conclusion was also communicated to the original complainant in a letter in January, the force added.<\/p>\n

Under an agreement announced in December 2019, SNC-Lavalin\u00a0Construction\u00a0pleaded guilty to a charge of fraud over $5,000, agreeing to pay a $280-million penalty and be subject to a three-year probation order. The remaining charges were stayed.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 2023 The Canadian Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n