The ex-boss of the firm SNC-Lavalin Jacques Lamarre was found guilty of seven of the 14 counts filed against him with the disciplinary council of the Order of Engineers of Quebec, in particular for having tolerated a “corruption system” within the firm.
The voluminous decision of the council, of nearly 300 pages, was rendered on 1is august.
It follows a series of audiences held last fall, which came from an investigation by the trustee’s office about the former manager.
This investigation focused on the corruption scandal which splashed SNC-Lavalin (now atkinsrenalis since) and the involvement of Jacques Lamarre.
It came from a report received from Sami Bebawi, a former vice-president of SNC-Lavalin who said he had overwhelming information against her former superior, according to information published by The press in 2023.
“Criss, he knew it”
In particular, Sami Bebawi had told the police that Jacques Lamarre was aware of the purchase of a yacht for the son of the former Libya Mouammar Gaddafi, Saadi Gaddafi, to the SNC-Lavalin funds.
“Criss, he knew it, he approved it!” “He had told an investigator of the RCMP at the Montreal courthouse.
Among the counts finally retained against Jacques Lamarre by the disciplinary council of the order: the green light to the payment of the expenses of Saadi Gaddafi, when he came to Canada in 2008, for around 2 million.
But Jacques Lamarre was declared not guilty of having authorized the purchase of a luxurious Yatch for the same Saadi Gaddafi.
The former leader was however found guilty of having authorized the payment, in money and through a false bill-the payment of $ 200,000 to the Union Montreal party of ex-mayor Gérald Tremblay.
His sentence later
It should be noted that for several charges, the man now 82 years old defended himself by saying that he had not kept memories of the events. His request to obtain a stop of the procedures was however rejected by the Council.
Jacques Lamarre will eventually be summoned to another hearing where he will receive his sanction. The date of the latter is not yet known yet.
The possibility of depositing criminal charges against him had been the subject of intense discussions between police officers and prosecutors of the Federal Crown, according to what had reported The pressbut the proof was deemed insufficient to move forward.
CEO of SNC-Lavalin from 1996 to 2009, the businessman had previously participated in the construction of several major works as a framework. The turnover of the Quebec company exploded under its direction and it continued its expansion through the planet.
With Vincent Larouche, The press
