SNC-Lavalin lobbied for Criminal Code changes while 'courts breathing down' company's neck: journalist
Lobbying for changes to Criminal Code was not illegal, says Paul Wells
SNC-Lavalin was actively lobbying to have the Criminal Code adjusted while a criminal case against the company was gathering pace, according to a senior writer at Maclean's Magazine.
"The courts were coming after SNC-Lavalin, and with the courts breathing down SNC-Lavalin's neck, it proceeded to intensely lobby government and opposition politicians to get the Criminal Code written … in such a way as to ease the pressure upon SNC-Lavalin," said Paul Wells.
The lobbying was not illegal, Wells pointed out, but added that "as Michael Kinsley, the U.S. journalist and magazine editor used to say: 'The scandal is often what's allowed.'"
The Quebec engineering giant is facing allegations of fraud and corruption in Libya, and is at the centre of accusations that the prime minister's office pressured former attorney general Jody Wilson Raybould to intervene in the case. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has denied those allegations. Wilson-Raybould resigned as Veterans Affairs Minister Tuesday.
Wells said beginning in 2017, SNC-Lavalin successfully lobbied for deferred prosecution agreements to be written into the Criminal Code.
The agreements allow companies to make an out-of-court settlement over criminal charges, while continuing to operate as a business.
DPAs became law in Canada in Sept. 2018, but the company's request for one was eventually refused. The criminal case is now at the preliminary hearing stage. SNC-Lavalin has pleaded not guilty.
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Produced by Julie Crysler.