The security services company Neptune has been banned for five years from public contracts in Quebec following an “integrity review” by the Autorité des marchés publics (AMP).
Also, this company, which has numerous security service contracts with various Quebec government authorities, including the Sûreté du Québec and courthouses, must “cease the performance of any public contract within 60 days”, indicates the AMP in its order of banishment.
According to the AMP, “Neptune does not meet the integrity requirements required to maintain its authorization to contract” with the public sector in Quebec.
An audit carried out in recent months by the AMP reveals that “the (corporate) structure declared by Neptune allows it and other companies to escape the application of the Agency Contracts Act public. »
Also, the AMP says it has found that “ the company fails to declare its real leaders, while the integrity of the companies under its supervision is particularly linked to the integrity of each of them. »
The AMP indicates that its verifications “ lead it to conclude that the operational structure of Neptune, which uses several companies with a numerical designation that do not hold authorization to contract, allows them to escape the application of the law. »
According to the AMP, “ the integrity of these companies (linked to Neptune) that carry out public contracts cannot be assured, because they are removed from the supervision of the AMP. »
Double identity?
Moreover, according to information revealed last week by the Enquête program on Radio-Canada television, the big boss of Neptune, who presents himself under the name of Robert Butler, was not identified as such in the documents of the company submitted to the AMP during its verification.
According to the Radio-Canada report, Robert Butler would use two identities in the management of his group of companies which have several contracts for security services in Quebec, Ontario and with the federal government.
In court, Robert Butler would present himself as the CEO of Neptune Security Services, while he would use the name Badreddine Ahmadoun when he presents himself as the leader of his other companies, including a real estate agency in Ontario.