By Benson McCulloch

Alain Germain sentenced to 3-1/2 years for stealing $1.2 million in SIGA money

Oct 12, 2010 | 6:20 PM

CKOM

Alain Germain, the man who stole $1.2 million from the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA), was led away in handcuffs to begin his three-and-a-half years in prison sentence on Tuesday.
The sentence matches a joint submission made late in September.
At that time, the judge said she needed time to review case law involving restitution. The Crown had wanted Germain to be on the hook for the money he stole once he is released from prison. The restitution order forces Germain to pay back the stolen money when he gets out of jail, even if he declares bankruptcy.
“I’m very happy the judge came down on the side of the crown,” Prosecutor Robin Ritter told reporters.
The defence had wanted the matter to be settled in civil court equating a restitution order to a “financial life sentence”.
Don Worme, a lawyer representing SIGA, said the impact of Germain’s crime is enormous.
“Not only in terms of financial losses, but there have been losses of goodwill that have impacted the bottom line,” Worme said.
“At the end of the day, it's the First Nations of this province that have suffered — a people that have more than enough obstacles to overcome.”
The crime is prompting changes. SIGA is in the process of taking over all aspects of cash machines inside its casinos. Germain was in the cash machine business when he siphoned $1.2 million of SIGA’s money into his personal bank accounts.