POHLMANN

Andreas Pohlmann has joined SNC-Lavalin, Montreal, as its chief compliance officer, a new position at the global engineer, says a spokeswoman.

The firm is involved in a Canadian probe into alleged bribery and corruption by former executives on local and overseas contracts. Pohlmann was founder and principal of a corporate compliance consultant, Pohlmann & Co., in Frankfurt, Germany.

The consultant's website says that, from 2007 to 2010, he was chief compliance officer at Germany's Siemens AG, which settled bribery charges brought by U.S. and German officials. Pohlmann designed and managed the firm's compliance system.

He also was an executive board member of Ferrostaal AG, responsible for compliance and leading settlement talks in a criminal corruption case against the firm. Pohlmann now is based in Montreal.

The appointment comes as Pierre Duhaime, former SNC-Lavalin CEO, has been formally charged with fraud related to alleged improper payments for work on a Montreal university project, according to The Canadian Press; he stepped down last June.

A $5-million payment he received at the time was suspended by the company in December after his arrest. SNC-Lavalin named Robert G. Card as CEO last October. Through an attorney, Duhaime pleaded not guilty to multiple fraud charges on Feb. 11.

Executives Riadh Ben-Aissa and Stephane Roy also were linked to the alleged bribery and fired last year. Ben-Aissa is in custody abroad, facing fraud charges.

Roy, who has not been charged, last month filed a $1-million wrongful dismissal and defamation suit against SNC-Lavalin, the spokeswoman confirms.

A similar suit was filed on behalf of Ben-Aissa last year. Court actions related to separate class-action suits filed by company shareholders, possibly totaling as much as $1 billion, are set for this spring, she says.