Two big Canadian companies caught up in Trump administration probe

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The fight over Russian interference in the 2016 American presidential election, the investigation of Donald Trump and the current retribution in Washington is being felt in the Great White North. The Trump administration is seeking out those they have accused of weaponizing the justice system against the President, and it includes a lawyer whose firm represents a major Canadian client.

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Now two of Canada’s biggest companies, Brookfield Asset Management and Scotiabank are caught in the crosshairs of the American Department of Justice.

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Edward R. Martin Jr., the associate deputy attorney general in charge of the Weaponization Working Group, has written to Brookfield CEO Bruce Flatt demanding answers to several questions by Oct. 7. The questions relate to Brookfield’s due diligence surrounding their purchase of a Peruvian toll road called Rutas de Lima in 2016 from the Brazilian conglomerate, Odebrecht.

Both Brookfield and Scotiabank were asked for comment and while both firms acknowledged the request, neither has provided comment at this point.

Shortly after the sale of Rutas de Lima to Brookfield went through, Odebrecht was ordered by the DOJ to pay a $2.6 billion fine for corrupt practices spanning several years.

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According to one study, Odebrecht would pay bribes to officials in multiple countries in order to win contracts or secure favourable terms at renegotiation. The study found that when Odebrecht paid bribes, “costs increased by 70.8% on average, compared with 5.6% for projects with no bribes.”

On Sept. 19, 2025, Martin, writing on behalf of the Department of Justice, asked Flatt to explain Brookfield’s “anti-corruption due diligence on Rutas de Lima in 2015–2016,” the role Scotiabank played in the purchase, and “how corruption risk and contract taint were modelled in Brookfield’s valuation.” Martin also asked the firm to provide documents on these matters and decisions to adjust road tolls.

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Last week, Brookfield suddenly announced that they are dissolving their Peruvian road toll unit citing “unsustainable losses.” Last March, Brookfield sued the city of Lima over protests and other measures the city government had taken to prevent the collection of road tolls.

Brookfield bought the Rutas de Lima toll road for $420 million in 2016 as Odebrecht was trying to sell off assets amid scrutiny over kickbacks related to government contracts. The Department of Justice has estimated the road to be worth $2.7 billion; the same amount Brookfield is suing Lima for.

The Rutas de Lima road, though, was not part of the Odebrecht plea deal settlement with the DOJ back in 2016. That plea deal was headed up by a DOJ lawyer named Andrew Weissmann who has also received a letter from Martin asking for his explanation of why the toll road was left out of the plea deal.

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Martin also asks Weissmann “for your explanation of conflict controls during your tenure and upon your return to private practice.”

That last part is key since before returning to work for the government in 2011 and after leaving government in 2020, Weissmann worked at the law firm of Jenner & Block which has long represented Brookfield. Earlier this year, Martin wrote to Weissmann specifically asking if he obtained a higher salary or a bonus when he returned to Jenner & Block “after clearing its longtime client of consequences for corruption.”

Brookfield has long denied any wrong doing in relation to the Rutas de Lima purchase. As for Weissmann, both he and his firm, Jenner & Block, have stated that he never did any legal work for them and the firm was not part of the plea deal that Weissmann signed off on.

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So how does all this relate? Politics.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, Weissmann was a key figure in the Russiagate investigation. Weissmann served on the team of Special Counsel Robert Mueller and was called the architect of the case against President Donald Trump’s ally Paul Manafort.

That has put a target on his back and by extension, those around him like Brookfield.

Trump’s animosity alone doesn’t mean that nothing untoward happened here, that is why Martin says he is investigating. There is no doubt that Brookfield bought a road from a corrupt company at fire sale prices, and the City of Lima has long complained that tolls were too high due to the bribery and corruption in building the road system.

The Republicans are now on a fishing expedition, much like the Democrats were on in their attempts to get a Trump. Whether Brookfield becomes collateral damage in the attempt to target Weissmann remains to be seen.

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