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MONTREAL — SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. on Wednesday settled criminal charges related to business dealings in Libya, with its construction division pleading guilty to a single count of fraud and bringing the engineering giant a step closer to ending a long-standing scandal that tarnished its reputation and ensnared the highest office of the Canadian government.

The plea deal includes a $280-million fine to be paid over five years and a three-year probation order, and appears to free SNC-Lavalin from the damaging prospect of a ban on federal contract bidding.

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The agreement in the Court of Quebec stays all but one of six charges of corruption and fraud brought against SNC-Lavalin and two subsidiaries in 2015.

It also stipulates that SNC will engage an independent monitor who will release regular reports and can order changes to the company’s compliance and ethics programs.

The guilty plea represents an opportunity for the company to turn a corner since questionable practices first surfaced in 2012 and prompted the departure of former chief executive Pierre Duhaime.