The sudden resignation of a Canadian minister has turned allegations of government intervention into the proceedings of a giant Canadian engineering firm into a deep political crisis for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The resignation of Judy Wilson Raibold came after a series of claims by the Canadian government to clarify the authenticity of the alleged harassment of the Trudeau office to intervene in the criminal trial of engineering company "SNC-Lavalan" engineering.
The Montreal-based firm has been facing corruption charges since 2015 for allegedly bribing officials in Libya between 2001 and 2011 to secure contracts for government projects during the reign of leader Muammar Gaddafi.
On Wednesday, Wilson Raibold, Canada's first public prosecutor and justice minister before her move to another post last month, announced her decision to leave the government "with sad feelings."
Trudeau said he was "surprised and disappointed" by the announcement of the resignation.
"Our government has done its work properly and in accordance with all the laws," she said, referring to the former justice minister because she did not go directly to express her fears if she felt otherwise.
Lavalan has pressed the government and senior officials of the Trudeau office to reach an out-of-court settlement involving a fine and approval of compliance procedures, because its conviction within the court would jeopardize its business and thousands of jobs at risk.
But Globe and Mail newspapers quoted an undisclosed source as saying that Wilson Raibold had refused to ask prosecutors to agree to a settlement with Lavalen, and the proceedings were expected to continue.
Trudeau denied the allegations and said, "At no time has I or my office directed the current Minister of Justice or the former to take any specific decision in this regard."
Opposition parties continued to press for more clarification.
The independent commissioner of ethics opened a second investigation against Prime Minister Trudeau, who was elected in 2015 after pledging to stamp out corruption and eight months before running for the next election.
Despite the heated debate over the issue in Canada, Wilson Raibold refused to speak and address the issue, citing restrictions on preserving the secrets of government work.
The Canadian court's charges against SNC Lavalan were the latest strikes by one of the world's largest construction and engineering firms after the World Bank banned it from bidding for new projects until 2023 due to "misconduct" in Bangladesh and Cambodia.
The company is accused of providing $ 36 million bribe to officials and fraud on the Libyan government for 98 million US dollars.
The company oversaw multi-billion dollar projects in Libya, including building a prison outside Tripoli and an airport in Benghazi.
The charges relate to the "Great Artificial River" project to provide fresh water to the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi and Sirte, one of the largest irrigation projects in the world.
The company said those responsible for the irregularities had long since left, and to blame the current administration for what they had done could hurt its business enormously.