Two people in B.C. are accused of helping to fake refugee claims over a dozen years

VANCOUVER – Two people in Metro Vancouver are accused of colluding with foreign nationals to make fraudulent claims for refugee protection in Canada.

The Canada Border Services Agency says Roger Bhatti of Delta and Sofiane Dahak of Vancouver face more than two dozen charges, including forgery, counselling misrepresentation of facts and use of forged documents.

The agency alleges the offences involved people originating from Central Europe and took place between 2002 and 2014.

It says in a news release that Bhatti, who is 61, practised as a lawyer and Dahak, who is 52, was an interpreter when the alleged offences occurred.

The agency began reviewing evidence connected to a number of refugee claims in 2012 and it says most of the claimants were found not to be refugees and were removed from Canada.

The accused are scheduled to appear in Surrey provincial court on Oct. 6.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2020.