A Special Report, by Irvinderpal Singh Babral Sikh Press
TORONTO: Just last week, another Sikh oriented scam surfaced in Toronto. In this case, Dale Brazao of the leading Toronto Star newspaper, reported that the Sikhs trying to get land e immigrant status had paid Dr. Emmanuel Feuerwerker, a Liberal party candidate, more than $320,000 to regularize their status in Canada. One paniicular victim had alone paid over $130,000 and almost all had been defrauded. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which was looking into the complaints, confirmed the fraud and varied amounts paid to Feuerwerker by the Sikhs to obtain the permanent status in (Canada. Feuerwerker who is believed to hold two Ph.D.’s, flaunted his experience in immigration matters and claimed top links within the Liberal party to impress the prospective clients with his high level government connections.
Feuerwerker used to visit the Ontario Khalsa Darbar Gurdwara, with a Sikh associate, and reliable sources confirm that both were quite active in assisting many Sikhs trapped in strict immigration cases. How many cases were solved is not known as many victims are tightlipped now for the fear of rejection in their ongoing immigration appeals.
It is nothing short of a tragedy for the Sikhs in Toronto and other parts of Canada and USA who had lost their fortunes not only to Feuerwerker but also to high-profile Sikhs and others who are now in Canadian jails. Look at the list February 1993, Peel police charged a police constable Baljit Singh Rai, four of his relatives and seven other accomplices in a million dollar auto insurance fraud; March 1993, RCMP charged Raghbir Singh Gill, his wife Amritpal Kaur and Gurmit Singh Sidhu in a scheme to form a bogus ‘Singh Construction company and sell false layoff documents to claim the unemployment insurance benefits; they bilked over $500,000 from the Canadian UI federal agency.
April 1993, professor Day Singh accused and reported that a Realtor Gurdeep Singh Nagra and his wife swindled him and other Sikhs for over $4 million in shady land deals;
December 1993, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on their nightly prime time program exposed Gurmez Singh Bains of the Akal Group of Companies and reported that over 350 Sikh investors who had invested over $20 million in various land deals were living by the betrayal of trust; by October 1994, Detective Sergeant Richard Cavanagh of the Metro Toronto Police, who is now investigating the Akal Group’s activities to determine fraud or any illegal ‘operations, has received a large number of complaints against Akal and Bains and the case is actively pursued;
July 1994, world famous wrestler Tiger Jeet Singh, his relative Bahadur Singh Toor and their partner Narinder Dev Sood were charged by the RCMP for unlawfully conspiring to commit indictable offence of fraud; a real estate deal of over $8 million in Edmonton fell apart and many investors lost their fortunes; Tigeris ‘out on bail and fighting the battle in courts.
September 1994 Jaswant Singh Nahal, Ranjit Singh, Kuljit Chauhan, Dilip Chauhan and Safdar Hussain were charged with defrauding Ontario Workers Compensation Board and Canadian Automobile Theft Bureau of $720,000.
It is also often recalled that ‘Stephen Sanderor Sukhwant Singh ‘Sander of West Vancouver, who. came into the limelight in January 1990 declaring to donate $100 trillion to charity has not done it so far, he is facing six counts of evading taxes and making false statements on income tax returns between 198590.
Many Sikh investors were conned by their fellow Sikhs in a gold scam of over $12 million, the principal operator, Jasper Naude has just received the longest jail term under the Ontario Securities Act in Toronto.
These fraud cases, investment betrayals and immigration deals have deeply affected the very Sikh psyche regarding business. It can be argued that the business is conducted between two consenting adults and it’s no one’s affair to interfere when the deals have gone sour. However, in Akal Group’s case, which emerged as one of the most sound and stable companies in a very short time in 198991 and became a source of pride of Sikhs in Toronto by giving a higher rate of trust, financial security and confidence, the fall and discredit is both puzzling and unbelievable.
It is believed that no funds from the accounts of Gurdwaras and Sikh Groups were invested in the Akal Group. But Bains had developed many fast by donating heavily too many Gurdwaras.
By October 1994, Akal Group has been reduced to being answered by an answering service and had vacated its prestigious offices on Bay Street, Toronto and moved to Mississauga. Daljit Singh, who gave over $650,000 some three years ago and was made a director early this year, has resigned now. “I am very disappointed by Bains,” he said in a brief interview Joga Singh Chana, another investor and close associate, is claiming over $250,000 as his share in back perks.
Bains is not available as freely as before but he is very mindful of the calls from police and media. In a brief conversation with me last week, he promised to give details some time in future. He had already pleaded guilty on behalf of his Group to Revenue Canada’s charges for inadvertently violating certain rules regarding remittance of payroll deductions in 1992. It is indeed puzzling in Akal’s case because cash, which is the hardest thing to raise was raised easily by Bains and his associates. It is now cash strayed and unable to pay back investors even when dream projects were never built nor developed in or out of Canada.
In his personal statement issued some time ago Bains blamed the betrayal of trust theory and said, “Akal has its share of difficulties in this tough economic environment, It can, like most other companies, be faulted for errors of judgment and other omissions. But the intent to do fraud and dishonesty cannot be accepted.” But many Sikhs in Toronto and elsewhere are seeing themselves as victims and losers of their savings to Akal Group and survival has become excruciatingly painful for all parties.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 14, 1994
