For the first time in Canada, an individual has been sentenced
to jail time for bribing a foreign public official. The three-year
penitentiary sentence was handed down by the Ontario Court of
Justice under the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials
Act, SC 1998, c 34 (the "CFPOA").
The imposition of a jail sentence constitutes a major milestone
in Canada's drive towards tackling bribery in international
business ventures, and should serve as a stark reminder to all
Canadian companies active internationally of the critical
importance of having in place a strong anti-corruption compliance
program.
In 2013, Nazir Karigar ("Mr. Karigar") was convicted
of breaching section 3(1) of the CFPO for conspiring with
employees and associates of Cryptometrics Canada Limited to bribe
officials of Air India, a state-owned Indian airline, and an Indian
Cabinet Minister in order to secure a business contract. On May 23,
2014, Mr. Karigar was sentenced to a three-year term
