Former SNC-Lavalin executive Sami Bebawi has been ordered to serve an additional 10-year prison term after failing to pay a more than $24-million fine imposed as part of his earlier sentence for fraud, bribery, and laundering the proceeds of crime.

A former SNC-Lavalin executive convicted in one of Canada’s most prominent corruption cases has been ordered back to prison after failing to pay a court-imposed fine of more than $24 million.

On April 7, 2026, Quebec Superior Court Justice Gregory Moore ruled that Sami Bebawi, 79, must serve an additional 10-year sentence because it was clear he would not be paying the fine that formed part of the sentence imposed on him in 2020. Bebawi had previously been sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison following his conviction on fraud and corruption-related charges. That sentence also included a provision stating that if he did not pay the fine by February 14, 2025, he would face another 10 years behind bars.

Bebawi, who had recently obtained full parole on the original sentence, attempted to avoid returning to custody. However, after hearing arguments over recent months, the court concluded that the unpaid fine triggered the additional prison term. He was taken into custody in court, although the judge allowed for a short delay later in the day so that arrangements could be made for his return to a federal institution.

The case stems from Bebawi’s 2019 conviction by a jury on five charges, including fraud, bribing a foreign public official, laundering the proceeds of crime, and two counts of possessing property obtained by crime. Prosecutors alleged that he bribed Saadi Gadhafi, the son of former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, in order to help secure lucrative infrastructure contracts in Libya for SNC-Lavalin.

Evidence at trial showed that large sums of money were transferred through Swiss bank accounts connected to a shell company, and the Crown argued that Bebawi personally benefited by nearly $30 million. His sentence was widely viewed as the most severe handed down in the long-running series of corruption cases involving former SNC-Lavalin personnel.

Tuesday’s ruling means Bebawi’s legal troubles are far from over, despite the time he has already served. The parole timeline will now have to be recalculated in light of the new sentence, potentially extending his incarceration significantly. The decision also underscores the consequences courts may impose when major financial penalties tied to fraud and corruption convictions remain unpaid.

The ruling adds another chapter to a case that has remained a symbol of corporate corruption enforcement in Canada. It also highlights how sentencing in large-scale fraud and bribery matters can continue to evolve years after the original conviction, particularly where restitution or court-ordered financial penalties remain outstanding.

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Originally published on Canadian Fraud News.