Cynthia Vanier/SNC

[pogge]

Another day, another SNC Lavalin story: Former SNC-Lavalin exec accused of funneling cash to Gadhafis

An angry insider at engineering giant SNC-Lavalin has accused the company’s former head of construction, Riadh Ben Aissa, of secretly funneling money to members of Libya’s Gadhafi family, according to a "poison pen" email obtained by CBC News.

“Since the early 1990s Ben Aissa has organized more than 300 million [dollars in] payments to shell companies acting as intermediaries between SNC-Lavalin and the Libyan government (ie the Gaddafi family),” the anonymous insider wrote in the email, which was sent to the company's executives and board of directors in December.

I particularly enjoyed the sub-hed: Company's annual shareholder meeting Thursday expected to be lively

[pogge]

Police will 'find other stuff': SNC-Lavalin CEO

Investigations by various authorities are ongoing into allegations of impropriety at SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., the engineering multinational says, as it signalled there will be more fallout in the weeks ahead.

The Swiss government's prosecution office and the RCMP are among the agencies probing the company or its former vice-president of construction, Riadh Ben Aissa, who sits in a Swiss jail in connection with an investigation into corruption, fraud and money laundering in North Africa.

"This has been a very intense time," SNC chairman Gwyn Morgan told shareholders at the company's annual meeting in Toronto on Thursday, adding this year will be the most challenging the company has faced.

Editing to add: SNC’s mystery man in Libya

A U.S. ambassador called him “shadowy.” The North African press has referred to him as “the bank vault” for Colonel Moammar Gadhafi’s son. Libyan rebels have posted YouTube clips declaring that he’s wanted “dead or alive.”

But before the revolution that toppled Libya’s dictatorship, Abdulrahman Karfakh was an important business partner for SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., ... and his role as an agent and a player in SNC projects in the country raises deeper questions about who the firm aligned itself with in order to land hundreds of millions of dollars in business there.

[pogge]

Cyndy Vanier’s northern Ontario ties raise questions

A First Nations leader in northern Ontario says he’s curious about the experiences in his community of Canadian consultant Cyndy Vanier, now in a Mexican jail and accused of masterminding a plot to smuggle members of the Gadhafi family into that country.

[Toedancer]

Interesting. There are several inconsistencies in Vanier's memory around events, I'm too knackered to list them, but someone else who is looking at this story sees them as well. OTOH, this cbc article doesn't pass the smell test to me. In fact I'm pretty disappointed with it, cbc needs to dig deeper if they're going to repeat someone else's memory.

[pogge]

Google translation of La Presse article about large contributions to CPC campaigns in Quebec (which they were never going to win) by senior execs at SNC Lavalin. One of the execs is the individual who is currently in custody on charges of corruption and money laundering. (Peter Kent take note: this involves real, actual money laundering). Dots are being connected. There may not be enough popcorn.

[lagatta]

Here is the original, for those of us not requiring a translation: http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/quebec-canada/politique-canadienne/201205/09/01-4523432-genereux-dons-de-cadres-de-snc-lavalin-au-parti-conservateur.php

Yep, we'll have to follow the trail of where those "campaign donations" went. I think the Marijuana party came ahead of the Cons in Laurier-Ste-Marie, Duceppe's riding (now held by the NDP, still a wasteland for the Cons - Québec solidaire MNA Amir Khadir was also elected in the same general area. Federal riding a bit larger than Provincial, of course).

Alexandre Boulerice is my MP, and he is an excellent communicator - he was in charge of communications for CUPE here.

[Toedancer]

I just bought an Air Popper! 

[Boom Boom]

Air poppers are the best - I wish I still had mine.

[Toedancer]

Investors sue SNC.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/05/09/snc-lavalin-lawsuit.html

[sparqui]

Cyndy Vanier’s northern Ontario ties raise questions

A First Nations leader in northern Ontario says he’s curious about the experiences in his community of Canadian consultant Cyndy Vanier, now in a Mexican jail and accused of masterminding a plot to smuggle members of the Gadhafi family into that country.

She knew that "security expert" Peters from working up north:

"Normally I don't think people get to that point where they get so totally unreasonable that someone would require a body guard," Cutfeet said. "But the other thing you have to keep in mind is that [as a professional mediator] she's recognized as being able to defuse the most difficult of these situations. So why would you need a bodyguard if you had that ability?"
KI had its own concerns about Platinex bringing in private security during its mining dispute in the First Nation. At the time, Cutfeet referred to the former British army officer hired as security by Platinex as "a militia man" — a foreign soldier hired to serve private gain.
De Beers told CBC News that Gary Peters was hired privately by Vanier, not by the company.

This is just too bizarre. And really, kevlar vest and a body guard to work with FNs in Northern Ontario? I definitely find that odd. Interesting that she was working directly for the resource exploiter and then for the FN. Usually there is a minimum period stipulated in the terms of a contract regarding working for the entity across the table from you in negotiations.
As for the CPC donations, I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't another "in and out" variation of directing money where most needed without raising any red flags.

[pogge]

Are we still keeping an eye on SNC Lavalin?

World Bank cancels loan over “credible evidence” of corruption by SNC-Lavalin

The World Bank has cancelled a $1.2 billion loan for construction of a bridge in Bangladesh, saying it has credible evidence of corruption involving a Canadian engineering company.

The global lending agency said it did not receive a satisfactory response from the Bangladesh government after it raised the issue of corruption last year.

It said in a statement Friday that it has evidence pointing to “a high-level corruption conspiracy” among Bangladesh government officials, executives of Canadian engineering and construction giant SNC-Lavalin, and private individuals in connection with the planned 6.5-kilometre (4-mile) Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project.

[Toedancer]

Yes thanks pogge and Cynthia Vanier and Peters. The latest (who is in Mexico today for the election) from PenSword @
http://lapoliticaeslapolitica.blogspot.ca/2012/06/gadhafi-plan-without-cynthia-vanier.html#comment-form



 However, La politica has learned that Mr. Peters travelled to Mexico twice on a private jet after he and Ms. Vanier went on an SNC-Lavalin sponsored fact-finding mission to Libya from July 16 to July 26, 2011.


“It was early August,” says Mr. Peters. “Went down on a Monday, came back on a Wednesday. Went down on a Friday, came back on a Saturday.”


Mr. Peters did not use the San Diego-based aircraft brokerage that Ms. Vanier had contracted for the SNC-Lavalin sponsored mission to Libya. That firm was owned and operated by Greg Gillispie, whose business partner, Gabby de Cueto, is in jail with Ms. Vanier in Mexico.


“Nobody knew,” says Mr. Peters. “My trips had nothing to do with SNC-Lavalin, Gillispie, or Cyndy. This was a personal thing.”


The two trips resulted in the purchase of a multi-million dollar compound in Punta Mita. This property was bought by an associate of Mr. Gadhafi’s, and held in a bank trust. This was not Cynthia Vanier’s widely reported “Casa Kadafi”, a home she intended to purchase in nearby La Cruz.

[Toedancer]

Is SNC-Lavalin Bending Rules to Avoid Paying Taxes?

Both companies and individuals pay considerably less in taxes if they label their relationship as a "contractor" relationship, rather than an "employment" one. The company or the individual in a contractor relationship does not pay CPP, EI and WSIB premiums. -snip-

Many of the newly hired contractors brought on by SNC-Lavalin are also former AECL employees. These employees took a voluntary separation package last fall prior to the federal government's sale of AECL to SNC-Lavalin, which cost the federal government approximately 15 million dollars. Employees were offered voluntary layoff packages because SNC-Lavalin claimed the need to reduce the workforce. Now, months later, many of these "voluntarily laid-off" employees are back, doing the same jobs. But now they are called contractors instead of employees and honest Canadian taxpayers are the losers.
http://www.exchangemagazine.com/morningpost/2012/week27/Friday/12070607.htm

[Toedancer]

About 850 nuclear engineers now on strike
[/size]The workers became employees of SNC-Lavalin in October 2011 when the federal government sold off the commercial business of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd, which designed the CANDU (CANada Deuterium Uranium) reactor, to a unit of SNC.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/09/snclavalin-strike-idUSL2E8I92IX20120709?type=companyNews

[Toedancer]

Letter from Diane Albonczy and my response (so far)

http://lapoliticaeslapolitica.blogspot.ca/2012/06/gadhafi-plan-without-cynthia-vanier.html?showComment=1342056451622#c8405267418315839692


P.S. That is the exact same response I received from an earlier letter to the T.