SNC-Lavalin insider's bribery allegations spark EDC probe

(CBC, Toronto, 3 April 2019) Export Development Canada has hired outside legal counsel to review some of its dealings with SNC-Lavalin. The review comes after a company insider told CBC News the engineering giant secured billions in loans from the Crown agency over the years, some of which he alleges was intended to pay bribes. EDC has denied knowledge of any improper payments, but last Friday said it is taking a closer look at a 2011 deal with SNC-Lavalin involving a $250-million project to refurbish the Matala hydroelectric dam in Angola. EDC has backed SNC-Lavalin projects in 19 countries since 1995. In 2012 the head of SNC-Lavalin's construction division was arrested in Switzerland for bribery in Libya. The sheer size of "technical fees" which could total as much as 10% of a project's overall budget should have raised flags. In 2013 the CBC and the Globe and Mail exposed secret payments for projects in Africa, India, Cambodia and Kazakhstan.