RCMP charge Montreal company with bribery, fraud charges
A Montreal company that specializes in ballistic identification and four of its executives are facing corruption charges by the RCMP — the very police force the firm boasts as one of its many customers.
The RCMP said in a news release on Wednesday that Ultra Electronics Forensic Technology Inc., located in Montreal's Saint-Laurent borough, was charged on Tuesday with bribery of a foreign official and defrauding the public following an investigation into alleged international corruption.
Executives Robert Andrew Walsh, Philip Timothy Heaney, René Bélanger, and Michael McLean, all from the Montreal area, are each charged with bribery and fraud as well.
"It is alleged that the corporation and the accused individuals directed local agents in the Philippines to bribe foreign public officials to influence and expedite a multi-million-dollar contract," the RCMP said.
The accused are scheduled to appear at the Montreal courthouse on Sept. 28.
"The RCMP's Sensitive and International Investigations section focuses its expertise on sensitive, high-risk investigations involving serious threats to government institutions, public servants, the integrity of the state, or which could jeopardize the political, economic and social integrity of Canada," the force said in the release.
"The RCMP remains committed to disrupting, deterring and preventing corruption, both domestically and internationally, and our goal is to bring to justice the individuals and companies involved in these types of crimes."
Ultra Electronics Forensic Technology describes itself as a "world leader" in firearm forensic solutions that helps police organizations and government agencies solve and prevent gun crime.
A spokesperson for the company could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday evening.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.