The Court of Quebec has sentenced André Côté, a former executive of engineering firm Roche ltée, Groupe-conseil (now Norda Stelo), to a 14-month conditional sentence for his role in a bid-rigging scheme involving Québec City municipal contracts. His sentence includes seven months of house arrest, a seven-month curfew, and 100 hours of community service.
Mr. Côté, who served as vice-president of infrastructure at Roche, pleaded guilty in June to conspiring with seven other engineering firms to divide up municipal infrastructure contracts between 2006 and 2010. Charges were also filed against another individual in November 2023, with proceedings ongoing.
Background and Broader Impact
The Competition Bureau’s investigation led to criminal charges against Mr. Côté and another executive, Patrice Mathieu, for bid-rigging and fraud. Roche ltée has since paid a $750,000 settlement for its role in the scheme. Six other engineering firms, including SNC-Lavalin and WSP Canada (formerly Genivar), have reached settlement agreements totalling over $12 million for similar offences across Quebec.
Commissioner of Competition Matthew Boswell condemned the practice, stating, “Rigging bids on public contracts is a serious offence… we will continue to fight against this scourge and pursue those who conspire to increase their profits through criminal schemes such as bid-rigging.”
