In a further blow to the track record of the Competition Bureau and the Public Prosecution Service of Canada in contested criminal trials, on April 27, 2015, a jury in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice found nine defendants not guilty on 60 charges of bid-rigging and conspiracy to rig bids. Another individual – David Watts, who waived his right to a preliminary inquiry, and sought an order directing a verdict of acquittal for himself only – was acquitted in February, 2015 of similar charges in a directed verdict.
The Competition Bureau had commenced a criminal inquiry in 2006 into bid-rigging allegations against 14 individuals and seven companies, regarding allegations that the accused had coordinated their bids for certain information technology (IT) services contracts with the Canadian federal government.
Article by Susan M. Hutton and Gina Demczuk – The Competitor – Stikeman Elliott LLP –Â May 11 2015.
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