SURREY – Indo-Canadian immigration lawyer from Delta has pleaded guilty to a raft of charges of fraud brought against him by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
On June 8, Balraj Singh Roger Bhatti pleaded guilty to 8 counts of s.127(a) of the IRPA – Misrepresentation, 3 counts of s.366(1)(b) of the Criminal Code – Forgery, and 6 counts of s.368(1)(b) of the Criminal Code – Use, Trafficking or Possession of Forged Document.
The CBSA investigated fraudulent refugee claims made by Bhatti, 61, of Delta, and Sofiane Dahak, 52, of Vancouver.
According to Border Services, the pair colluded with foreign nationals to misrepresent claims for refugee protection before the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada between February 2002 and March 2014.
Border Services officials began investigating Bhatti and Dahak in 2012 and executed search warrants on June 4, 2014.
Most of the refugee claimants were found not to be typical refugees and were removed from Canada, according to CBSA.
“Canada’s refugee system assists people who are forced to flee their countries because of a well-founded fear of persecution. Trying to ‘game the system’ by falsification and misrepresentation of information is not only illegal, but delays the processing of genuine refugees in need of protection,” says Nina Patel, with CBSA.
“This is a serious issue and the CBSA is committed to holding offenders accountable.”
Bhatti was charged under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act with:
*eight counts of misrepresenting material facts in relation to refugee claims;
*counselling misrepresentation of material facts in relation to refugee claims;
*four counts of forgery;
*seven counts of use of a forged document.
Bhatti’s next court appearance for sentencing has not yet been scheduled.
