‘Accountability achieved’ in SNC-Lavalin affair, Wilson-Raybould says

OTTAWA — Jody Wilson-Raybould says the justice system did its work, the rule of law is being upheld and it is time for SNC-Lavalin to look to its future.

In a series of tweets today, the former Liberal cabinet minister at the centre of the SNC-Lavalin affair says accountability was ultimately achieved.

The Montreal-based engineering firm has been caught up in a political storm since February, when the Globe and Mail newspaper reported that prime ministerial aides leaned on Wilson-Raybould, attorney general at the time, to ensure there was a deal that would avoid prosecution.

Wilson-Raybould resigned from cabinet days later and was subsequently ousted from the Liberal caucus.

SNC-Lavalin had unsuccessfully pressed the director of prosecutions to negotiate a special settlement — known as a remediation agreement — out of concern the company could be barred from federal contracts for a decade.

SNC-Lavalin says today it expects a guilty plea to fraud by its construction subsidiary will not hinder the company’s long-term business prospects.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 18, 2019.

The Canadian Press

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