December 13, 2019 - 2:59 PM
MONTREAL - There was no verdict after a second day of deliberations Friday in the fraud and corruption trial of a former SNC-Lavalin executive Sami Bebawi.
Bebawi, 73, has pleaded not guilty to five charges that include fraud, corruption of foreign officials and laundering proceeds of crime.
Jurors asked the judge for a dictionary before noon, a request that was denied by Quebec Superior Court Justice Guy Cournoyer.
The Crown has alleged that Bebawi was the architect of a system of kickbacks designed to help the engineering giant secure lucrative public contracts in Libya and pocketed about $26 million from those deals.
The case centres on several major infrastructure projects and alleged dealings with Saadi Gadhafi, one of the sons of late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
Bebawi's lawyers have denied the allegations and have said the younger Gadhafi — the foreign official in the charge — did not have any real power or authority.
Jurors will return for a third day of deliberations on Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2019.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2019