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Canada’s Second Bribery Conviction is “A Start”


Canada’s Second Bribery Conviction is “A Start”

Niko Resources has agreed to pay a $9.5 million fine for bribing a Bangladesh official

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Friday’s settlement of the bribery case against Niko Resources shows that Canada's anti-corruption laws are gaining strength, but are still weaker than similar laws in the US.

The Ottawa Citizen reported:

The case, settled by a guilty plea negotiated by Niko and prosecutors following a six-year investigation by the RCMP, is only the second conviction under the Canadian Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act, passed in 1998.

The $9.5 million Niko has agreed to pay, plus three years of probation, settle charges that it bribed a Bangladesh official who was responsible for deciding compensation for villagers after a well blowout in 2005.

James Klotz, president of Transparency International Canada, said "It's a lot of money, but it pales in comparison to the $800 million in fines that has been levied in the US. Other countries are starting to levy hundreds of millions of dollars. But it's a start.”

Read the full story.