INVESTIGATORS from Ontario’s Peel Regional Police Fraud Bureau have charged a woman from the City of Mississauga in relation to an immigration scam targeting victims from the Middle East, particularly Afghanistan.
Over the past two years, several victims have reported to police that they paid large sums of money to the Afghan Refugee Relief (ARR) organization to assist in sponsoring family members wishing to immigrate to Canada from Afghanistan. The accused, posing as head of the ARR, accepted money but never processed the paperwork through the Canada Border Services Agency and Citizenship and Immigration Canada. After a significant delay and once the victims learned that their paperwork was never processed, the accused refused to reimburse the funds paid for the service.
Investigators estimate that the total amount defrauded from the victims to this point is approximately $40,000.
Sakia Mojadiddi, 61, of Mississauga, was arrested and charged with three counts of fraud over $5,000 and three counts of possession of proceeds obtained by crime. She was released on a promise to appear and undertaking and appeared at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton on August 28.
Investigators believe that there may be further victims who have had contact with Mojadiddi and/or the Afghan Refugee Relief organization. They are requesting that anyone who has lost money to the organization or the accused contact the Peel Regional Police Fraud Bureau at (905) 453-2121, ext. 3356.
Information can also be left anonymously by calling Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or by visiting their website at www.peelcrimestoppers.ca, or by sending a text message to CRIMES (274637) with the word “Peel” and then your tip.
AYAZ Dhanani (a.k.a. Alex Dhanani, Azim Virani, Michael Lee, Alex Nebris, Paul Dhanani, Samuel Ramos and Rahim Jiwa), 37, of Vancouver was arrested on October 2 following an investigation by the Criminal Investigations Branch of the British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC). He was arrested in Vancouver with assistance from the Vancouver Police and is in custody pending a bail hearing. A trial date has yet to be set, the BCSC announced on Monday.
Dhanani was arrested for multiple charges under the Criminal Code and the Securities Act. It is alleged that, contrary to the Criminal Code, Dhanani:
committed fraud and theft in excess of $5,000, and
failed to comply with a term of his release on other outstanding prosecutions resulting from prior investigations by the BCSC and other investigative agencies.
It is also alleged that, contrary to the Securities Act, Dhanani:
traded in securities in breach of a BCSC order issued December 16, 2016,
distributed securities without a prospectus,
gave undertakings related to the future value or price of a security,
made misrepresentations, and
acted as an advisor without being registered.
The BCSC issued the December 16 order after it found Dhanani defrauded three B.C. investors of $188,800. The BCSC issued several permanent prohibitions against Dhanani, including prohibitions from purchasing and trading in any securities, from engaging in investor relations activities, or from becoming or acting as a director or officer of any issuer or registrant.
The BCSC also ordered Dhanani to pay $188,800 in disgorgement and an administrative penalty of $225,000. A portion of the disgorgement order has been satisfied and the administrative penalty remains unpaid.
CONSERVATIVE shadow minister for ethics, Peter Kent, and shadow minister for finance, Pierre Poilievre, issued the following joint statement on the NDP’s motion calling on Finance Minister Bill Morneau to apologize to the House of Commons and Canadians for sheltering his wealth and hiding his financial assets:
“Andrew Scheer’s Conservative Party believes that all Parliamentarians, regardless of their professional background, must follow all conflict of interest and ethics rules.
“Finance Minister Bill Morneau is [Prime Minister] Justin Trudeau’s right hand man. Mr. Morneau is responsible for pension laws, budgetary spending, and the mortgage rules; no one has more power to enrich a company and its shareholders than the Finance Minister.
“With these massive financial powers should come absolute financial transparency. Yet Justin Trudeau and his Finance Minister have failed to provide that transparency to Canadians.
“The Finance Minister broke the rules when he failed to report his off-shore private corporation and he exploited an ethics loophole to shelter his personal wealth by placing it in a numbered company. Only when he was caught did he disclose his off-shore private corporation, and offer to put his assets in a blind trust.
“This leaves Canadians to wonder, what else are the Finance Minister and Justin Trudeau hiding? Canadians have a right to know, and to find out, we need to know what investments the Finance Minister has hidden in his complex network of numbered companies and trust funds.”
BEGINNING in early August, the New Westminster Police Department received multiple reports of incidents of theft, some of which involved fraud and the use of stolen credit cards. The majority of the thefts involved purses or backpacks that were stolen from public places, such as coffee shops.
Unsuspecting people would set their purse or backpack down, and when left either unattended or with their back to their items, the suspect would take their property, often without being seen. After stealing the purse or backpack, the suspect would then allegedly use their credit cards for other purchases. The majority of the thefts occurred during day time hours in public places.
“Receiving multiple theft reports that share numerous similarities is concerning, so we assigned multiple different sections to investigate, which included members from patrol, the Criminal Intelligence Unit, the Crime Suppression Team, and the Forensic Identification Section,” said Sgt. Jeff Scott. “It is always troubling when there a series of offences, especially when the offences are done in broad daylight and in public spaces.”
On October 3, after a significant amount of investigation, and with the assistance of an alert employee at the River Market on Quayside Drive who recognized the suspect through video surveillance, 36-year-old William Raymond Banks, of Vancouver, was arrested and charged with nine counts of theft, six counts of fraud, two counts of breach of conditions, and one count of possession of stolen credit card.
“This is another example of the excellent collaboration between our different sections and members of the community,” said Scott. “Solving crime often includes the assistance of the public, so we want to thank the community for their help in solving this series of alleged offences.”
Banks remains in custody for his next court appearance on October 30.
KHUSHAL Singh Rana, 31, of Victoria, who had been in hospital in serious condition after having been struck by an SUV on Wednesday last week while he was walking to work, died on Saturday at Victoria General Hospital. One of his legs had to be amputated and he was in a coma for four days.
Rana, who had only recently moved from Surrey to Victoria and was a chef at the Sizzling Tandoor Restaurant, was on his way to work after celebrating his son’s fourth birthday when a vehicle jumped a curb and struck him. His wife is pregnant with twins.
The Khalsa Diwan Society in Victoria is collecting donations for Rana’s family. Also, Kirn Bawa, general manager of the restaurant where he was working, set up a GoFundMe page for the family after his accident. $73,784 of the $75,000 goal was raised by 1,258 people in three days.
Police are investigating the cause of the collision.
In an update, Bawa wrote the following on the Gofundme page on Sunday:
“It’s with heavy hearts and regret that we inform our community that Khushal Singh Rana unfortunately succumbed to his injuries yesterday evening after fighting a strong fight over the past few days. Despite everyones prayers and the phenomenal efforts of the medical team at VGH he unfortunately had to leave us far too soon.
“He was not just our co-worker but he was a devoted husband and father. On behalf of his family we would like to thank the community for the tremendous level of love and support in this difficult time. The response has been truly inspiring and up-lifting. Additionally, we would like to thank the wonderful doctors and nurses at Victoria General Hospital for their endless effort to try and save our friend Rana.
“Our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends. We pray that Rana rests in peace.
“Until further notice we will keep the GoFundMe page running as his wife and children will need our help now more than ever. After seeing the exceptional response to Rana’s story we have faith that the community will continue to help this family through these challenging times. Thank you all once again for your generous support.
New Delhi (PTI): A man, who allegedly raped a woman and inserted wooden sticks into her private parts leading to her death, will also be tried for murder, the Delhi High Court has said, setting aside a trial court order.
The high court expressed its displeasure with the sessions court’s “whimsical, illegal and perverse” decision to not frame murder charge against the accused, saying that it “speaks of non-application of judicial approach”.
Justice Vinod Goel said that the sessions judge committed a “grave error” which led to “failure of justice”, and set aside the lower court’s August 29, 2016 order denying the prosecution’s request for framing of additional charge of murder against the accused under IPC Section 302, which entails a maximum punishment of death.
The high court said, “A cursory look at the post-mortem report shows that a case for murder under Section 302 of the IPC is prima facie made out. Impugned order (of August 29, 2016 of the sessions judge) is per se whimsical, illegal and perverse and speaks of non-application of judicial approach and grave error has been committed by the ASJ by which the failure of justice has in fact occasioned on account of non- framing of charge under Section 302 of the IPC.”
“The additional sessions judge (ASJ) is directed to frame an additional charge under section 302 of the IPC and commence the trial in accordance with law. It is directed that the trial shall be continued on a day to day basis and the ASJ shall conclude the trial within three months of receiving this order,” the high court said in its decision of October 17.
It agreed with the additional public prosecutor’s contention that since the victim was the sole eyewitness and as the insertion of wooden sticks into her private parts would have destroyed evidence of rape, it would be easier to prove the charge of murder against the accused based upon “nature of injuries, medical and last seen evidence”.
The sessions judge had framed the charge of rape against the accused and dismissed the application of the police to add murder to the list of charges in the case, saying the offence under IPC Section 302 was a minor one as compared to a crime under section 376-A (person committing an offence of rape and inflicting injury which causes death or persistent vegetative state), which entails a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.
When the police had moved the Delhi High Court, it was given the liberty to approach the sessions judge again for framing of charges.
However, the ASJ again declined the police plea to add murder to the list of charges against the accused and thereafter, the agency once more came to the high court in appeal.
Tokyo (AFP): Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe swept to a resounding victory in a snap election on Sunday, winning a mandate to harden his already hawkish stance on North Korea and re-energise the world’s number-three economy.
Abe’s conservative coalition was on track to win 311 seats in the 465-seat parliament, according to a projection published by private broadcaster TBS, putting the blue-blooded nationalist on course to become Japan’s longest-serving leader.
The comfortable election win is likely to stiffen Abe’s resolve to tackle North Korea’s nuclear threat, as the key US regional ally seeks to exert maximum pressure on Pyongyang after it fired two missiles over Japan in the space of a month.
Abe was heading for a “landslide win”, the top-selling Yomiuri daily said on its website, as the premier’s gamble to hold a snap election appeared to be paying off.
But it was unclear in the immediate aftermath of the vote whether Abe’s coalition would retain its two-thirds “supermajority,” requiring 310 seats, as some media had it falling just short.
A “supermajority” would allow Abe to propose changes to pacifist Japan’s US-imposed constitution that forces it to renounce war and effectively limits its military to a self- defence role.
Millions of Japanese braved torrential rain and driving winds to vote as a typhoon bears down on the country, with many heeding warnings to cast their ballots early.
“I support Abe’s stance not to give in to North Korea’s pressure,” said Yoshihisa Iemori as he cast his ballot in a rainswept Tokyo.
Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) benefited from a weak and splintered opposition, with the two main parties facing him created only a matter of weeks ago.
Support for the Party of Hope founded by popular Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike fizzled after an initial blaze of publicity and it was on track to win around 50 seats, the TBS projection suggested.
Speaking from Paris where she was attending an event in her capacity as leader of the world’s biggest city, a sullen- faced Koike told public broadcaster NHK she feared a “very severe result”.
“As the person who launched the party, I will take my responsibility.”
The new centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party fared slightly better than expected but still trailed far behind Abe with 58 seats.
“The LDP’s victory is simply because the opposition couldn’t form a united front,” political scientist Mikitaka Masuyama from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, told AFP.
The short 12-day campaign was dominated by the economy and the global crisis over North Korea, which has threatened to “sink” Japan into the sea and has traded barbs with US President Donald Trump.
Nationalist Abe stuck to a hardline stance throughout, stressing that Japan “would not waver” in the face of an increasingly belligerent regime in Pyongyang.
Despite the sabre-rattling from North Korea, many voters said reviving the once-mighty Japanese economy was the top priority, with Abe’s trademark “Abenomics” growth policy failing to trickle down to the general public.
The three-pronged combination of ultra-loose monetary policy, huge government spending and structural reform has catapulted the stock market to a 21-year high but failed to stoke inflation and growth has remained sluggish.
“Neither pensions nor wages are getting better… I don’t feel the economy is recovering at all,” said 67-year-old pensioner Hideki Kawasaki.
Although voters turned out in their millions to back Abe, support for the 63-year-old is lukewarm and surveys showed his decision to call a snap election a year earlier than expected was unpopular.
Voter Etsuko Nakajima, 84, told AFP: “I totally oppose the current government. Morals collapsed. I’m afraid this country will be broken.”
“I think if the LDP takes power, Japan will be in danger.
He does not do politics for the people,” added the pensioner.
Koike briefly promised to shake up Japan’s sleepy political scene with her new party but she declined to run herself for a seat, sparking confusion over who would be prime minister if she won.
In the end the 65-year-old former TV presenter was not even in Japan on election day.
“I thought that I would vote for the Party of Hope if it’s strong enough to beat the Abe administration. But the party has been in confusion … I’m quite disappointed,” said 80-year-old pensioner Kumiko Fujimori.
The campaign was marked by a near-constant drizzle in large parts of the country and rallies frequently took place under shelter and a sea of umbrellas.
But this did not dampen the enthusiasm of hundreds of doughty, sash-wearing parliamentary hopefuls, who have driven around in minibuses pleading for votes via loudspeaker and bowing deeply to every potential voter.
Lucknow (PTI): The upcoming municipal polls in Uttar Pradesh will be a key test for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as they would indicate whether the priest-turned-politician has been able to ensure that the BJP continues to maintain its popularity level.
Earlier this year, riding on Hindutva wave the party had secured a three-fourths majority in the state assemble paving way for 45-year-old saffron-clad Adityanath to become the chief minister.
The civic polls, to be held in November-December, is being seen as a major challenge for the Hindutva leader as the outcome would reveal the mood of the voters ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, political observers say.
The notification for the local body polls is likely to be issued by the end of this month.
“Voting for local bodies is based on local issues. In the civic polls people cast ballots. The masses will get a chance to register their disapproval of the anti-people BJP government,” Samajwadi Party MLC Rajpal Kashyap said on Monday, adding the urban local polls would be the first direct elections with Adityanath at the helm.
The BJP’s victory in these polls would be seen as a stamp of approval for the Adityanath government.
“The results will also present an opportunity to the party for course correction in their policies and governance,” political observer and academic Manjula Upadhyay said.
The urban polls were earlier scheduled for June-July, but were postponed as the electoral rolls and some other processes could not be completed within the stipulated time.
The Aam Aadmi Party is gearing up to contest these polls.
“We will contest from wherever we feel we have a strong organisational base,” AAP leader Sanjay Singh said.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led party had not contested the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls and instead diverted all its resources to focus on Punjab.
The SP and the Congress, which forged an alliance in run up to the 2017 UP state polls, have decided to contest these elections separately.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has said his party will have no alliance in the elections to urban local bodies and would contest them on its ‘bicycle’ symbol.
SP spokesperson and MLC Sunil Singh Sajan said, “The pre-poll electoral tie-up was for 2017 Assembly elections.
This does not mean that it will continue for the urban local bodies’ elections or 2019 Lok Sabha polls.”
As for Congress, senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad had recently said his party would go alone in the urban local polls. The Bahujan Samaj Party is also fighting the polls sans an alliance.
In the event of a split in non-BJP votes, the saffron party will have an edge.
Expecting that a split in opposition votes would help the BJP’s prospects, its spokesperson Shalabh Mani Tripathi exuded confidence that the party would register an impressive win.
“The BJP has started Vikas Parv, which will disseminate information pertaining to various developmental schemes and projects of the Centre in the last three-and-a-half years,” he said.
“It will also spread information about the developmental works undertaken and achieved in the six-months of the Adityanath government in the state,” Tripathi said.
The AAP has already released its first list of 19 candidates for the Lucknow Municipal Corporation election.
According to a release issued by the party, Priyanka Maheshwari is its nominee for the post of Lucknow mayor.
Although, the BJP has traditionally been strong in the urban constituencies, the acid test for Adityanath would be to match the performance exhibited during the Assembly elections.
Around 30 million voters would be eligible to exercise their franchise in these polls to be held for over 650 posts, including 438 municipal boards, 202 town areas and 16 corporations, also comprising two newly constituted Ayodhya Nagar Nigam and Mathura-Vrindavan Nagar Nigam.
In 2012, the BJP had swept these polls, winning 10 of the 12 mayoral posts. Lucknow mayor Dinesh Sharma is now a deputy chief minister of the state.
In the coming months, the spotlight will also be on the Gorakhpur and the Phulpur Lok Sabha bypolls with the recent Amethi visits of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and BJP chief Amit Shah and the SP national convention in Agra setting the stage for a high-octane contest.
Though no date has been announced by the Election Commission, the two Lok Sabha constituencies will go to polls in the near future as Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya vacated them after becoming MLCs.
“Undoubtedly, the BJP will not only emerge victorious in both the by-polls, it will also improve its victory margin,” UP BJP spokesperson Manish Shukla said.
The Samajwadi Party has also claimed that it is ready to contest the bypolls.
Akhilesh Yadav told the party’s Agra convention earlier this month that the two key by-elections would give his party a chance to gauge which way the wind was blowing, months after it was routed in the Assembly polls.
Akhilesh Yadav had said if results of the elections were in “our favour, it will give a message not only for the 2019 (Lok Sabha polls), but also for the 2022 (assembly polls)”.
There has been no word from the BSP yet on whether the party will throw its hat in the ring.
Usually, the Mayawati-led party stays away from by-polls, but with the scenario different this time, nothing could be said right now, party insiders said.
VANCOUVER Whitecaps FC will host San Jose Earthquakes in the Knockout Round of the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs this coming Wednesday, October 25. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m. PT at BC Place – TV: TSN, RADIO: TSN 1040, MOBILE. Playoff tickets are on sale now at ticketmaster.ca/whitecapsfc.
“We are proud of the season our team has had so far,” said Whitecaps FC President Bob Lenarduzzi. “We know that we’re underdogs in the playoffs, but this team has defied predictions. Our players are focused on making history for Vancouver, and that starts with a boisterous home crowd on Wednesday night at BC Place.”
Whitecaps FC finished in third place in the Western Conference with a 15-12-7 record. This is the fourth time that the ‘Caps have qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs, but the first time that they play the one-match Knockout Round at home. Whitecaps FC were previously on the road for the Knockout Round at LA Galaxy in 2012, and at FC Dallas in 2014, while receiving a bye to the Conference Semifinals in 2015.
San Jose are the sixth and final seed in the playoffs, having clinched their place with a 3-2 win over Minnesota United FC in their regular season finale. The ‘Caps and Quakes faced off twice during the 2017 season, with San Jose taking the first match 3-2 on March 11 at Avaya Stadium, and the two teams playing to a 1-1 draw on October 15 at BC Place.
Should Whitecaps FC defeat the Earthquakes on Wednesday, they will advance to the Conference Semifinals and host Cascadia rivals Seattle Sounders FC in the first leg this on Sunday, October 29, or Tuesday, October 31 at BC Place. Advanced tickets for that match are on sale now at ticketmaster.ca/whitecapsfc. The second leg of the Conference Semifinals will take place on Thursday, November 2 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.
The winners of the Conference Semifinal series will advance to the Western Conference Championship series, which will also take place over two legs. The first leg will be on Tuesday, November 21, with the return leg on Thursday, November 30.
MLS Cup will be played on Saturday, December 9 at the home venue of the finalist with the best regular season record.
Season Ticket Members were emailed information on September 29 to secure their seats for the duration of the playoffs.
WHITECAPS FC 2017 MLS CUP PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE Knockout Round Wednesday, October 25: Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 7:30 p.m. at BC Place, Vancouver, BC
If Whitecaps FC advance:
Western Conference Semifinals vs. Seattle Sounders FC
First leg – Sunday, October 29 OR Tuesday, October 31 at BC Place, Vancouver, BC
Second leg – Thursday, November 2 at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, WA
Western Conference Championship
First Leg – Tuesday, November 2, 7 p.m.
Second Leg – Thursday, November 30, 7 p.m.
PORTLAND (Oregon): Vancouver Whitecaps FC captain Kendall Waston scored his fourth goal on the season, but Liam Ridgewell and Darren Mattocks each found the net as the Portland Timbers rallied to win 2-1 at Providence Park on Decision Day on Sunday afternoon.
With the loss, the ‘Caps bid for first place falls just short as they finish third in the Western Conference with a 15W-12L-7D record, and will host sixth-place San Jose Earthquakes in the Knockout Round at BC Place. Stay tuned to whitecapsfc.com for schedule confirmation and ticket information.
The ‘Caps drew first blood in the 29th minute on Waston’s header off Yordy Reyna’s well-delivered free kick. With the score, the 2017 WFC Player of the Year sets a new MLS career-high for goals in a single season.
It did not take long for the Timbers to respond, however, as the home side capitalized on the second phase of a corner kick just three minutes later. WFC goalkeeper Stefan Marinović, making consecutive starts for the first time, stopped Darlington Nagbe’s initial attempt from distance, but Ridgewell was lurking on the opposite side to clean up the rebound and tie the match, 1-1.
Portland got the eventual winner early in the second half when Mattocks finished a finely-timed feed from Vytautas Andriuskevicius, after Sebastián Blanco initiated the attack with some persistent work at the top of the box.
With the victory, Portland (15W-11L-8D) clinches the top seed in the West, earning them a bye to the Conference Semifinal, while also winning the 2017 Cascadia Cup.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: Fredy Montero subbed on in the second half after taking a knock during training earlier in the week. He finishes the regular season with 13 goals to win the WFC Domenic Mobilio Golden Boot award… Nosa Igiebor made his WFC debut, starting at midfield and playing 73 minutes.
MATCH DETAILS
Budweiser Man of the Match: Kendall Waston Referee: Allen Chapman Attendance: 21,144
Scoring Summary
29′ – VAN – Kendall Waston (Yordy Reyna)
32′ – POR – Liam Ridgewell
48′ – POR – Darren Mattocks (Vytautas Andriuskevicius, Sebastián Blanco)
Statistics Possession: Portland 59.6% – Vancouver 40.4% Shots: Portland 18 – Vancouver 7 Shots on Goal: Portland 7 – Vancouver 2 Saves: Portland 1 – Vancouver 4 Fouls: Portland 14 – Vancouver 16 Offsides: Portland 2 – Vancouver 0 Corners: Portland 3 – Vancouver 5
Cautions
31′ – VAN – Nosa Igiebor
33′ – VAN – Jordan Harvey
45’+5′ – POR – Diego Chara
58′ – POR – Liam Ridgewell
81′ – POR – David Guzmán
89′ – VAN – Kendall Waston
