ON September 17, the RCMP’s National Division charged former SNC Lavalin senior executive Kevin Wallace, 46, of Oakville, Ontario, with bribery of a foreign public official under the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act. The charge was laid at the Toronto Queen Street Courthouse.
 
The charge relates to an investigation into the awarding of a contract for the supervision and consultancy services of the construction of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge in the Republic of Bangladesh.
 
The RCMP has also charged Zulfiquar Ali Bhuiyan, a Canadian citizen, and Abul Hasan Chowdhury of Bangladesh, with one count each under the Act.
 
“The RCMP’s National Division is mandated to focus on international corruption investigations. It represents a renewal of the RCMP’s commitment to fighting this particular type of crime,” said Assistant Commissioner Gilles Michaud, Commanding Officer of National Division. “In some countries, bribes are still accepted as a necessary part of doing business. However, bribery raises serious moral and political concerns, undermines good governance and sustainable economic development, and distorts the conditions of international competition.”
 
These charges stem from an on-going investigation. On April 11, 2012, the RCMP also charged two former SNC Lavalin employees Ramesh Shah, 62, of Oakville, Ontario, and Mohammad Ismail, 50, of Mississauga, Ontario. They were also charged with one count under the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act.
 
Kevin Wallace was released with conditions and a promise to appear in court. As the investigation is currently ongoing, RCMP say they will not comment any further.