Investigative journalist Vincent Larouche is shortlisted for the prestigious Albert-Londres Prize for his book The SNC-Lavalin saga – A geopolitical thrillerpublished in October 2021 by Éditions La Presse.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
The Albert-Londres Prize, created in 1933 in honor of the journalist Albert Londres, crowns each year the best great reporters of French-speaking journalism according to three distinct categories, namely the written press, the audiovisual and the literature. Winners must be 40 years of age or younger.
I am very proud, as a Quebecer, to be a finalist for this award. There are not often applications from us among the finalists. However, we produce journalism in Quebec that compares very well with that of the rest of the Francophonie.
Vincent Larouche
His book focuses on the history of corruption of one of Quebec’s largest multinationals, SNC-Lavalin. “Hiring of mercenaries, prostitution, bribes, false documents, rigging of books: for some SNC-Lavalin executives, all means were good when it came to winning a contract”, can we read in the summary of the journalist’s book.
“A compelling essay”
“I am lucky to work at The Pressa media outlet that devotes resources to digging into important subjects such as the SNC-Lavalin affair,” added Vincent Larouche, who became head of the investigation team during the summer.
“Vincent’s book is the perfect example of a brilliantly conducted long-term investigation. In addition to devouring itself like a novel, it allows readers to understand the scope of this international saga from the inside by revealing the best kept secrets, precisely what the head of the investigative team of The Press knows how to do best. He has thus been able to construct a powerful essay from years of interviews, fieldwork and reports,” underlined François Cardinal, the assistant editor of The Press.
Isabelle Hachey, journalist at The Presshad also been nominated in 2014, for a series of reports on modern-day slavery, and in 2015, for articles on the Rwandan genocide and the armed group Islamic State in Kurdistan.
The 2022 winners will be announced on November 28 in Riga, Latvia, where a tribute to Russian and Ukrainian journalists in exile will be paid.