The former CEO of Canadian engineering giant SNC-Lavalin is facing his second arrest in fewer than four months, after Quebec’s anti-corruption task force issued warrants for five prominent individuals linked to a corruption scandal.
Pierre Duhaime, who resigned as CEO of SNC-Lavalin last spring amid allegations he signed of on $56 million in inappropriate spending, is wanted on new charges of fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, counterfeit, fraud against the government, secret commissions and money laundering, the Montreal Gazette reported Wednesday.
Duhaime was arrested last November on charges of fraud. He pleaded not guilty earlier this month. Both the old and new charges are related to allegations of corruption surrounding a contract to build a new facility for the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).
Also charged this week is Riadh Ben Aissa, the former head of SNC’s construction division. Ben Aissa has been in Swiss custody since last spring, when he was arrested over allegations of bribery connected to SNC-Lavalin’s dealings with the former Libyan regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
According to RCMP documents obtained by several news sources, Ben Aissa was allegedly instrumental in the funnelling of $160 million in bribe money to Saadi Gaddafi, son of the later Libyan dictator.
Ben Aissa is accused of handling the missing $56 million over which Duhaime was forced to resign. It’s alleged part of the money went to securing the MUHC contract in Montreal, and some went on winning contracts in North Africa, CTV News reports.
Aside from the two former SNC execs, the anti-corruption task force also charged Arthur Porter, the former CEO of MUHC; Yanai Elbaz, a former associate director general of MUHC; and Jeremy Morris, whom the Globe and Mail identifies as a princial of Sierra Asset Management, a company that contracted with SNC to help it land the MUHC deal.
Pierre Duhaime
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