Former Snc-lavalin exec charged with illegal political contributions

A former executive of engineering giant Snc-lavalin has been charged by Canada’s election watchdog with helping to orchestrate illegal political donations paid to federal political parties between 2004 and 2011.

Normand Morin, 76, faces five charges related to soliciting employees to make political contributions and concealing their identities. Morin couldn’t be reached for comment.

The charges were laid Wednesday by the Commissioner of Canada Elections in the Court of Quebec on the recommendation of the director of public prosecutions.

“The company cannot make a contribution, so essentially it was an illegal contribution that the company made and that this individual was involved in orchestrating,” said Michelle Laliberte, spokeswoman for the commissioner.

Laliberte wouldn’t disclose if other people were investigated and said the process can be lengthy, depending on its complexity.

The former Snc-lavalin vicepresident is the only person charged, and the commissioner is concluding his investigation into the event.

The Montreal-based company agreed in 2016 to a compliance agreement, which detailed almost $118,000 in donations to the Liberal and Conservative parties through company employees or their spouses, who were then reimbursed by Snclavalin.

This illegal practice for skirting corporate donation limits was identified by a Quebec anticorruption inquiry as a widespread problem in municipal and Quebec provincial politics.