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.
The Competition Bureau is an independent law enforcement agency that promotes and maintains fair competition so that all Canadians can benefit from competitive prices, product choice and quality service. It oversees the application of the Competition Act, the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act, the Textile Labelling Act and the Precious Metals Marking Act.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Maureen McGrath
Communications Advisor
Competition Bureau
819-953-8982, or 613-296-2187 (cell)
For general enquiries, please contact:
Information Centre
Competition Bureau
819-997-4282
1-800-348-5358
