Obstruction and destruction of documents charges laid

Ottawa, September 11, 2006 — With respect to a Competition Bureau investigation, the Attorney General of Canada has laid criminal charges of obstruction and destruction of documents against a ventilation company employee in Laval, Quebec.

Joël Perreault, an appraiser with Les Entreprises Promécanic Ltée., has been charged under sections 64 and 65 of the Competition Act with obstructing the course of an investigation and destroying documents during the execution of a search warrant at Promécanic.

The Bureau alleges that between February 22 and March 1, 2006, Mr. Perreault removed and destroyed pages from his agenda that contained information relevant to the Competition Bureau's investigation.

The Competition Act contains provisions which protect the integrity of investigations and proceedings. Penalties for obstruction include a maximum fine of $5,000 or two years in prison, or both. In the case of destruction of documents, the penalties are a maximum fine of $25,000 or two years in prison, or both.

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