— Feature, Musings —12.15.2019 10:47 AM
#LavScam latest: former SNC exec found guilty
Among other things, this verdict suggests some of us (Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott in particular) were right when we said that crimes had indeed taken place – and that no politicians should be interfering in the resulting trials.
I wonder what they’re thinking in PMO right now? Do they ever say: “Hey, maybe we were wrong to do what we did.”
Kind of doubt it.
Former SNC-Lavalin executive vice-president Sami Bebawi has been found guilty on all counts at his fraud and corruption trial.
He will remain free until sentencing.
Bebawi, 73, was on trial over the last six weeks at the Montreal courthouse. The jury had been deliberating since Thursday.
Serving as the firm’s executive vice-president from 2000 to 2006, Bebawi faced five charges in all: fraud, bribing a foreign public official — former dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s son, Saadi Gadhafi — laundering the proceeds of crime, and two counts of possessing property obtained by crime.
Throughout the trial, the Crown positioned Bebawi as the man behind what it described as SNC-Lavalin’s “business model” in Libya: paying millions in kickbacks and bribes to keep obtaining lucrative contracts.
“The company adopted an unusual, unlawful and dishonest practice,” Crown prosecutor Anne-Marie Manoukian told jurors in her closing arguments, “by artificially inflating the prices of contracts, paying bribes and misappropriating money for personal gain.”
I’m hoping the Justice and the Ethics committees will have a good go at Trudeau and his PMO I’m the new year.
But I’m worried that Trudeau has done some sort of a deal with the Bloc so they’ll vote with the Liberals and shut down any investigations by those committees.
Maybe. But I actually have confidence in the RCMP. I know many don’t, but I am told they have not let this go.
I agree. Once the appropriate briefing info has been given to the AG by the DPP, Trudeau will summarily drop this like a lead pancake.
Based on that, do you feel there’s still hope that those complicit will be held accountable and brought to justice? Fingers crossed. Nonetheless, keep up the great work. We all think very highly of you and we’ve got your back, Mr. Kinsella. I know all about personal struggles and darkness, so I certainly empathize and have compassion for others who do too. We’ll all get through these choppy waters together and we’ll emerge even stronger. I’m glad you’re feeling better. Best regards.
BQ will deep six the Liberals the first chance they get.
What must be especially galling for Trudeau is how his trusted braintrust steered him right into a minority mandate. They weren’t politically saavy enough to heed JWR’s advice and the PM wasn’t any more politically sophisticated to overrule his advisors. (And/or Trudeau was gutless.)
In short, they made their bed. And with Trudeau still refusing to clean house in the PMO…well, that’s too bad.
Maybe it’s nothing, but is the creation of a pseudo PM being driven by this and the need to let trudeau exit sooner than later?
Gord,
Some may want a Chrystia-CoronationTM at some point but the party will never stand for that.
They’ll be clamouring for Mark Carney.
Douglas,
He’s otherwise committed and dare I say it, old hat.
Commitments can change, depending on the opportunities.
You know that.
Douglas,
Liberals now like people who have already paid their dues. Is Carney one of those people?
In the next few weeks JWR will be forced out of her office on the hill. Butts will then be appointed to the Senate. Reduction in cell phone bills and all the other stupid promises obviously won’t be happening. Expect a wild out of control deficit and major job losses in the coming budget with no hope of a plan in sight. Business as usual for PM Zoolander. Because its 2020.
TRS,
Justin is no genius but he actually does have enough brains not to name Butts (or Telford) to the Senate. God, he’s not that stupid.
SNC share price today- 23.50$
SNC share price 18 months ago-62.00$.
CORRUPTION MATTERS.
And it’s all justin’s fault…..
Terry,
SNC did it to themselves. Trudeau only made it worse politically.
Ok I’m glad this guy got a conviction. My topic now is only tertiary to this but… c’mon… JWR won’t leave her ministerial office? Really?
I hope you and Lisa have given her advice to be the bigger person and vacate her suites willingly… On SNC as you know I was with her 10000% and was pissed about how she was treated– I specifically didn’t vote Liberal this time because of the whole thing. But this is ridiculous, she needs to vamous those office digs. She looks laughably bad with this.
The SNC thing was a legitimate scandal and she stood on principle for it and good for her. I mean, I get she (like ALL politicians) can slip into divadom occasionally, but this silliness discredits her, and makes SNC trivialized in retrospect because it can look now like it WAS just about her and not the judicial issues. Wtf is she playing at? She shouldn’t tarnish her legacy like this.
I don’t advise her. And Lisa who?
I’m sorry to read this and wish I had earlier.
Agree 100%. I think JWR is working through what a lot of people experience when they are deified and hero-ized for a protracted period of time. When the fame and attention start to wane, they have trouble adjusting to being a “regular” person again.
What bothers me most about the office-vacating thing is all the reference to “elder cleansing”, and pitting JWR’s indigenous roots with Dan Vandal’s indigenous roots. What in the heck does their indigenous heritage have to do with leaving an office? If it were JWR leaving and a non-indigenous person arriving, would it make any difference? It sure as heck shouldn’t.
I think she had an elder do some kind of blessing on the office, so if she moved the blessing would no long apply to her.
So this is a way to hold on to your office past the time you are allowed? And it’s not possible for the elder to bless any other office, ever again?
I admired Jody for her principled stand. But she’s being delusional. Just my guess, but I think she didn’t fully appreciate that once all the smoke from this recent election cleared, she was going to be an independent MP. And that means, in terms of perks and privileges, you’re a nobody. Just another warm body on the back benches.
It’s one thing if you’ve never been a somebody, but for Jody that’s a big climb-down.
But that said, I totally agree she needs to get a grip. This recent hissy fit is doing major damage to her political brand. I know I think way less of her as a result of it.
Derek,
In one word: E-G-O.
If JWR thinks she can test Liberal waters with this, she is sadly mistaken cause no Liberal will come a running with their support. That’s reality.
Which goes back to my original point– it actually makes SNC seem just about her ego and not the legit obsruction of justice issue it was. (At least, not to politics fanatics like us but the wider public– they’re going to think “oh that was actually just a diva being a diva so nothing untoward was done”.
Yeah I’ve already had people link the office space issue to the SNC one, suggesting that JWR is a “difficult woman” to work with. After all, she’s ignoring the rules now and she ignored new information then. Just a difficult woman.
Wasn’t there a clause in the DPA legislation that a company had to meet to qualify for one? And didn’t SNC not meet the clause and, therefore, not qualify for a DPA? It’s interesting how that disappeared so quickly. I’m wondering if this guilty verdict has any bearing on that clause.
I particularly like how a white man is trying to take away the indigenous person’s place. Again.
Except its an indigenous person of one shade against another indigenous person. Considering Vandal is Manitoba Metis this could as easily be seen as someone with french heritage pushing an english speaker out.
That’s fucking bullshit. This is PMO.
Did they let Elsie Wayne keep her office after the PCs lost the 1993 election?
Yeah, probably petty revenge time but she still should give up that ministerial suite.
I”m as fucking left-wing as they come but no. Either a Ministerial office exists or it doesn’t. If her goal is to have ALL offices resized to equal no matter Minister or backbench, ok, I’d go for that. Let’s see her advocate for that. If you are going to argue that this isn’t ego (and I 100% still support her on SNC and don’t give a shit about personalities with that), but if you think this is isn’t about her sense of self importance then, c’mon. You’re used to popping those bubbles not inflating them WK.
Elsie Wayne was first elected in 1993. My bad. Disregard my last reply, please.
SNC has plead guilty and agreed to pay a $280 million !
Now how in the hell could they even be considered for a defered prosecution ???
THE RCMP NEEDS TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS!!!