10 countries where SNC-Lavalin contracts under scrutiny
Invoices, budgets list scores of ‘illegitimate’ project costs
By Dave Seglins
Last Updated: May 15, 2013
SNC-Lavalin Inc. and its 100 subsidiaries were recently banned from bidding on World Bank projects.
The penalty came after the development agency concluded the company had committed misconduct in Bangladesh and Cambodia after a probe into bribery allegations.
In a widely publicized letter to the Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission in January 2013, the World Bank concluded that the term PCC, which stands for Project Consultancy Cost, was a "euphemism used by SNC-Lavalin to indicate the cost of the bribes to be paid."
SNC-Lavalin spokesperson Leslie Quinton confirmed that internal auditors have discovered some employees were indeed using "PCC" in their accounting and that "it is not a legitimate budget item."
However, CBC News and the Globe and Mail have obtained reams of invoices and budget documents from the SNC-Lavalin International division showing PCC payments on projects around the world. The materials reveal scores of mysterious payments, including ones that appear to have been paid to public officials.
Click on the dots below to read about SNC projects where questions have been raised about the company's conduct.