Toronto, Aug 10 - Canada's SNC-Lavalin, which is at the centre of the alleged Rs 300-crore ($60 mn) bribery scandal in Kerala, has reported a higher profit of $80 million for the second quarter of 2009 - up from $75 million during the same period in 2008.

The Montreal-based company said the increase in its profit was 'mainly due to higher contributions from the power and infrastructure and environment segments, partially offset by a loss in chemicals and petroleum.''

One of the leading engineering and construction companies in the world, SNC-Lavalin has operations in about 100 countries.

In a chargesheet filed June 11, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had named the Montreal-based company along with Kerala CPM secretary Pinarai Vijayan and others in the alleged bribery scandal. The chargesheet had alleged that the Canadian company was wrongfully given contracts for renovation of three power projects in 1997 when Vijayan was the electricity minister of Kerala.

But Gillian MacCormack, SNC-Lavalin vice-president for global public relations, had denied these charges, saying, 'We have done nothing wrong since the beginning of the project.