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Former Muskrat Falls senior employee pleads not guilty to sexual assault charge

A former senior employee on the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project is facing a charge of sexual assault following an alleged incident at the construction site.
A former senior employee at the Muskrat Falls construction site is facing a charge of sexual assault. A trial is scheduled for February. (Nalcor Energy)

A former senior employee on the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project is facing a charge of sexual assault following an alleged incident at the construction site.

Marco Brollo, 49, pleaded not guilty to the charge, but did not appear in court in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Brollo was working with Astaldi, the contracting company in charge of the megaproject in Labrador, when the complaint against him was made.

The alleged victim was also working on the project.

A spokesperson for Astaldi said the company began its own investigation, but put it on hold once the case entered the legal system.

Brollo's online profile, written mostly in Italian, shows him working for a number of construction companies on projects around the world.

The most recent entry lists him as a deputy construction manager for Astaldi.

The company said it has suspended Brollo, and he's no longer living in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Astaldi said the alleged victim has also left the company.

About 1,500 people work for Astaldi on the Muskrat Falls project, and the company said this is the first case that has ever gone to court.

Two days in February have been set aside for trial, with a pre-trial conference scheduled for December.

The company said it will wait until legal proceedings are finished before concluding its own investigation.