Normand Morin, former vice-president at SNC-Lavalin, was sentenced to 42 months in prison for his role in a bribery scheme aimed at obtaining the bridge repair contract in the early 2000s. Jacques-Cartier which spans the St. Lawrence River, in Montreal.
This investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was called Clip.
Federal police investigators claim to have revealed that in the early 2000s, senior executives of the engineering and construction firm SNC-Lavalin paid $2.3 million in bribes in order to obtain the contract to replace the bridge deck, worth 127 million. The sums were paid to a federal civil servant, Michel Fournier, who headed the Federal Bridge Company from 1997 to 2004.
As for the contract, it was awarded in 2001 to the Groupement SMDB consortium, made up of three firms including SNC-Lavalin.
Normand Morin was singled out for his role in this affair, as well as another executive, Kamal Francis.
Mr. Morin, 82, was accused of fraud, defrauding the government and making false documents. He was found guilty by a jury last February.
On Tuesday, Quebec Superior Court Judge Éric Downs sentenced Mr. Morin to 42 months for fraud, 36 months for fraud against the government and 24 months for making a false document. The sentences must be served concurrently, that is to say at the same time.
Normand Morin can appeal this sentence.
As part of a reparation agreement concluded with the Quebec government, SNC-Lavalin and SNC-Lavalin International agreed to pay a financial penalty, the RCMP said in a press release. The agreement provided for the payment of a sum of nearly 30 million dollars.
As for Michel Fournier, he pleaded guilty to charges of fraud against the government and laundering proceeds of crime. He was sentenced in 2017 to five and a half years in prison.
This case is not over, however, criminal proceedings are still ongoing against Kamal Francis.
