UK Grants $1.5 Million Rail Contract to Controversial Canadian Firm
The UK government awarded a one dollar point five million rail contract to the Canadian company AtkinsRealis. The firm, previously known as SNC-Lavalin, had admitted to bribing Saadi Qaddafi, son of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi. The contract, running until December twenty twenty-five, is for providing advice on rail policy oversight.
The UK government awarded a £1.2 million (one dollar point five million) rail contract to AtkinsRealis, a Canadian company that admitted bribing Saadi Qaddafi, the son of late Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi.
The contract, aimed at providing technical and commercial advice for rail policy oversight, runs from September 2023 to December 2025.
In previous years, AtkinsRealis, known then as SNC-Lavalin, faced multiple bribery and corruption allegations, including incidents in India and Bangladesh.
The company pled guilty to paying forty-eight million dollars in bribes to Libyan officials to secure contracts.
Despite its controversial past, the Department for Transport maintains the contract was awarded transparently and emphasizes economic value for taxpayers.