Joining the firm last July, he had been a senior vice president in CH2M Hill's oil-and-gas EPC group.

Neil Bruce, president of SNC-Lavalin's resources, environment & water division, takes over until a replacement can be found, the company said.

"SNC is going on a compliance offensive by offering amnesty to employees ... who report any unethical behavior. This is very similar to what Siemens had implemented during its bribery scandal," said Maxim Sytchev, analyst with Dundee Securities Ltd., Toronto.

"As initial news drove the [Siemen] stock down in late 2005-early 2006, similar to what [SNC Lavalin] experienced in March 2012 when the board identified improper payments), it played catch up to the broader market over the subsequent 15 months."

Shares of SNC were up 45 cents, or 1.1%, at $39.92 on the Toronto Stock Exchange in early trading on May 27.

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