A Saskatchewan judge has halted the convictions of a Saskatoon man who once ran what border officials called an “elaborate immigration scam,” ruling the investigation was so flawed it violated his Charter rights.Gurpreet Singh, 34, had been found guilty in 2022 of forging job offer letters and selling them to would be immigrants between 2016 and 2018. Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) linked 34 immigration files to the scheme and charged Singh with misrepresentation, counselling, forgery, and dealing in forged documents. .OLDCORN: Looney Tunes Rachel Gilmore rails against Conservative MPs defending Christian artist Sean Feucht.Singh made his first court appearance in January 2020.In a decision released on Tuesday, Court of King’s Bench Justice Naheed Bardai stayed every count before sentencing. Bardai said the case collapsed because the lead CBSA investigator, accused of intimidating witnesses, was allowed to examine the complaint against himself, calling it “a serious lapse of judgement” and evidence of a “systemic failure.”.Bardai said that self investigation undermined the integrity of the trial and breached Singh’s Section 7 rights to life, liberty, and security of the person. Because key witnesses had already testified, Bardai wrote there was “no way to turn back the clock” and get Singh a “fair proceeding.”A stay halts prosecution but does not clear the accused. .UPDATED: Powerful 8.8 earthquake in Russia’s Far East sends tsunami across Pacific, Klyuchevskoy volcano erupts.Crown lawyers may appeal, yet Bardai noted the “clearest of cases” demands the harsh remedy to preserve public confidence in the justice system.Singh’s lawyer Tavengwa Runyowa said his client is relieved. “An agency cannot investigate and exonerate itself,” Runyowa told the media..Winnipeg pulls plug on US Christian worship singer Sean Feucht’s Central Park show.CBSA has not commented on the ruling. The agency previously described Singh’s scam as a threat to the integrity of Canada’s immigration program.
