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A division of SNC-Lavalin Inc. admitted Wednesday it committed a crime while operating in Libya — putting an end to a case at the Montreal courthouse that for months caused headaches for the federal Liberal government.

During a hearing before Quebec Court Judge Claude Leblanc, the company, represented by lawyer François Fontaine, pleaded guilty to committing fraud “against various Libyan authorities.”

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Through a joint recommendation, SNC-Lavalin Construction Inc. was sentenced to pay a $280-million fine over a five-year period and to three years of probation.

During the probationary period, SNC-Lavalin Construction Inc. will be required to present reports as evidence it is complying with anti-corruption laws as it continues to do business.

By pleading guilty to fraud, and not the bribery charges it also faced, the company can continue to bid on construction projects.

Last year, the construction and engineering giant asked the federal government to negotiate a remediation agreement. Its request was turned down by Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, setting off a series of events that plagued the Trudeau government and led to the minister’s resignation.

Instead of going through the federal government’s remediation process, the company opted for a facilitation process, with both sides in closed-door meetings with a judge with the goal of saving the public from a costly and time-consuming trial.

More than 100 RCMP investigators and several prosecutors were assigned to the case since 2012, with Leblanc presiding. The meetings resulted in what was presented in open court Wednesday.