Indo-Canadian gets 10 year jail for stealing $47.4m from Ontario govt
Darpan News Desk IANS, 05 Apr, 2023 11:12 AM
Toronto, April 5 (IANS) An Indian-origin former Ontario government employee has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to stealing $47.4 million from the provincial government, which included $10.8 million of Covid aid.
Sanjay Madan, who served as an IT Director within the Ministry of Education, pleaded guilty to multiple charges of fraud, breach of trust, and money laundering, which he committed by overseeing two complicated schemes to bilk millions of dollars from taxpayers, the Global News reported.
Madan's lawyer Chris Sewratan said he feels "sorry" for his crimes and is taking "responsibility for everything".
Madan has agreed to re-pay the entire amount, $30 million of which, his lawyers say was immediately returned to the Ontario government, while the remainder can be repaid over the next 15 years.
His deception came to light during the Covid-19 pandemic when the government set up the support for students fund to give parents a one-time payment of $200 per child to offset the costs of learning from home during the pandemic.
Madan, who had access to the internal processing portal, siphoned off more than 43,000 support payments into 2,841 bank accounts under his name -- taking $10.8 million from the fund, according to Global News.
Criminal charges were withdrawn against Madan's wife Shalini and their two adult sons as part of a plea bargain, which was designed to serve as a signal that he alone bore responsibility for the fraud.
Madan's lawyer said he pleaded guilty to clear the names of his wife, Shalini Madan, and their two sons whose names were on some of the accounts used to defraud the province.
According to media reports, the Ontario government has successfully obtained an injunction to freeze Madan family's assets in Canada as well as overseas in India.
Totalling $28 million, those assets include six Toronto condos collectively worth $3 million.
Madan's whole family was also employed with the Province of Ontario, though his sons have since resigned and wife was dismissed. The probe into the pandemic funds fraud then uncovered a larger nine-year scheme in which Madan received profits to the tune of $36.6 million.
Madan's lawyer said he apologised to the taxpayers, the Ontario government, his family and colleagues for the crimes.
According to CTV News, after Madan's release from the prison, he has five years to pay back the remainder -- if he doesn't, he could be re-incarcerated for another six years, his lawyer said.
The Vancouver Police Department says in a news release that officers responded to a home near Boundary Road and East 45th Avenue after receiving reports about a man being stabbed around 10 p.m. Friday. Police say they found 22-year-old Caleb Morin, who was taken to hospital and later died of his injures.
The woman has been identified by family members as Kiara Agnew from Dawson Creek, B.C. Mexican prosecutors have confirmed the woman was found dead Friday, adding he is in custody and possible charges are being considered.
The Avalanche Canada website says both events happened Saturday and each one involved a fully buried skier who was saved because of the quick work of others in their group. Both victims had to be airlifted to hospital after smashing against trees and suffering various injuries while being swept along by the snow.
The victim has been identified as 55-year old Surinderjit Singh of Maple Ridge. Mr. Singh’s death is not believed to be related to the Lower Mainland gang conflict. Initial evidence suggests that Mr. Singh arrived at the location at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Friday.
The city says in a statement that the living wage rate for 2023 would have gone up more than 17 per cent to just above $24 per hour, immediately influencing its pay structure. A statement posted by the group Living Wage for Families calls Vancouver's decision "incredibly disappointing."
The victims were walking on Glen Drive when the suspect males walking behind them shot both their legs with more than a dozen pellets. The victims suffered minor injuries. The suspects fled on foot east-bound on Glen Drive in Coquitlam.
