Warrants issued for arrest of U.S., UK nationals in alleged bribery case

OTTAWA – The RCMP has charged three foreign nationals following an investigation into allegations of bribery involving a contract with Air India.

Canada-wide warrants have been issued for Americans Robert Barra and Dario Bernini and British national Shailesh Govindia, all of whom face charges under the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act.

Govindia was also charged with one count of fraud.

Berini is a former chief executive officer of Cryptometrics Canada Inc., while Berini is former chief operating officer of the firm. Govindia is a one-time agent for the company.

In 2006, Cryptometrics tendered a contract with Air India for a biometric passenger security system valued at approximately US$100 million.

The RCMP says evidence gathered and later presented at trial revealed an agreement by Nazir Karigar, an agent working for Cryptometrics, to pay millions of dollars in bribes to Indian public officials for the purpose of securing a contract with the airline.

The initial investigation led to conviction of Karigar, who was recently sentenced to three years in prison.

“We have a mandate to investigate domestic and international allegations of corruption of foreign public officials,” said RCMP assistant commissioner Gilles Michaud, commanding officer of the police force’s national division.

“This investigation demonstrates the RCMP’s commitment to combating international corruption. Leaving these crimes unchallenged can jeopardize Canada’s reputation as a fair and transparent society.”

Follow @JimBronskill on Twitter

News from © The Canadian Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community? Create a free account to comment on stories, ask questions, and join meaningful discussions on our new site.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.
The Canadian Press

The Canadian Press is Canada's trusted news source and leader in providing real-time, bilingual multimedia stories across print, broadcast and digital platforms.