OTTAWA – On September 2, 2020, Superior Court Justice Guy Cournoyer ordered the forfeiture of assets of former SNC-Lavalin executive vice-president Sami Bebawi, who was convicted for corruption and fraud in December 2019, following an extensive RCMP criminal investigation. The assets, which are worth over $4 million, include:
- A real estate property located in Florida valued at over $1 million US
- Approximately $670,000 in Canadian bank accounts
- Three real estate properties with a combined value of over $540,000
- $970,000 in lieu of the seizure of an additional real estate property
- An amount of $290,409 invested in a real estate property
Mr. Bebawi, who is currently appealing his 8 ½-year prison sentence, was also fined $24.6 million in lieu of the seizure of additional proceeds of crime. Failure to reimburse this amount within the next six months will have him serve an additional 10-year prison sentence.
This marks another successful chapter into Project Assistance, an extensive criminal investigation by the RCMP’s National Division Sensitive and International Investigations section into the corruption of foreign public officials by SNC-Lavalin to obtain contracts in Libya. Last December, SNC-Lavalin pled guilty to fraud and received a $280M fine and was placed on probation for three years.
National Division’s Sensitive and International Investigations section focuses on criminal activity that poses a threat to Canada’s government institutions, public officials, the integrity of the Crown, or that imperils Canada’s political, economic, or social integrity.
SOURCE Royal Canadian Mounted Police – ITCU
