Home / Issues / World Bank Group debarment of SNC-Lavalin Inc. and affiliates
World Bank Group debarment of SNC-Lavalin Inc. and affiliates
Settledas of 31 Oct 2026World Bank Group (multilateral)SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.draft
Current status
Confirmed fact · as of 17 Apr 2013
The ten-year debarment under the Negotiated Resolution Agreement took effect 17 April 2013 and was reducible to eight years on full compliance.
A World Bank Group, World Bank Debars SNC-Lavalin Inc. and its Affiliates for Ten Years (17 Apr 2013) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
Unanswered question · as of 31 Oct 2026
The confidential settlement did not itself set out detailed findings on the underlying conduct, and the company did not admit wrongdoing in its statement.
B SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., SNC-Lavalin agrees to settle with World Bank Group (17 Apr 2013) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
Superseding event · 20 Apr 2021
Reporting indicates the World Bank lifted the sanction in 2021 after SNC-Lavalin served the eight-year reduced term, consistent with the compliance-based reduction provided for in the 2013 agreement. This is reported context, not a primary World Bank record.
D The Globe and Mail, World Bank lifts sanctions on SNC-Lavalin ahead of schedule (20 Apr 2021) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
Last reviewed 31 Oct 2026. An initial allegation is not the final event; this block is always shown.
How it unfolded
Issue raised · 17 Apr 2013
Proposition: The World Bank Group announced that, under a Negotiated Resolution Agreement, SNC-Lavalin Inc. and more than 100 affiliates were debarred for ten years from bidding on or being awarded Bank-financed contracts, citing misconduct in relation to the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project in Bangladesh and a Bank-financed rural electrification project in Cambodia, including a conspiracy to pay bribes and misrepresentations in bidding.
Affected parties: SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., SNC-Lavalin Inc., World Bank Group (Integrity Vice Presidency)
Originating record: A World Bank Group, World Bank Debars SNC-Lavalin Inc. and its Affiliates for Ten Years (17 Apr 2013) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
Response · SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. · 17 Apr 2013
Attributed claim · as of 17 Apr 2013
SNC-Lavalin said it had agreed to settle with the World Bank Group and that the settlement included no financial penalty. The release did not admit wrongdoing or describe the underlying conduct, referring only to 'the previously announced investigations.' President and CEO Robert G. Card pointed to measures to 'set standards for ethics in business conduct and for good governance that are beyond reproach.' The company said the affected subsidiaries had historically accounted for about 1% of its annual revenue. — SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.
B SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., SNC-Lavalin agrees to settle with World Bank Group (17 Apr 2013) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
Outcome · World Bank Group · 17 Apr 2013
official findingbinding
Confirmed fact · as of 17 Apr 2013
Under a Negotiated Resolution Agreement, the World Bank Group debarred SNC-Lavalin Inc. and over 100 controlled affiliates for ten years from Bank-financed projects, reducible to eight years on full compliance with the agreement's conditions (cooperation with the Integrity Vice Presidency and continued compliance-programme improvement). The rest of the SNC-Lavalin Group was conditionally non-debarred for the same period. The debarment qualifies for cross-recognition by other multilateral development banks under the 2010 Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Debarments. A debarment is an administrative sanction by the development bank, not a court finding of fraud.
A World Bank Group, World Bank Debars SNC-Lavalin Inc. and its Affiliates for Ten Years (17 Apr 2013) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
Remedy: Ten-year debarment of SNC-Lavalin Inc. and affiliates from World Bank-financed contracts (reducible to eight years on compliance); no financial penalty in the agreement; cooperation and compliance obligations.
Appeal/review: concluded — Resolved by Negotiated Resolution Agreement; no appeal. A World Bank Group, World Bank Debars SNC-Lavalin Inc. and its Affiliates for Ten Years (17 Apr 2013) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
How to read this. Allegation, response and outcome are separate, dated records. "Decided/resolved" appears only where a cited outcome supports it. Materially affected parties can request a correction via Corrections & response.