Max's Mewsings

Mr. Singh is fighting deportation and is unlikely to oblige given that his allegations in support of a Federal Court appeal he has made are his best bet for staying in Canada. Should he fail in his bid to avoid deportation (and that looks virtually certain - more on this later) a Sgro suit would set up the farcical scenario of a high-profile deportee returning to Canada to defend himself against a law-suit from a former minister who tried to have him deported.

Ms. Sgro continues to forget that there was a way out of this. Had she stepped aside in the wake of the Stripper Scandal as I and others advised, she'd be on the high ground. Instead she decided to fight in the gutters.

Laywers to Pizza Guy: "You're Fired"
In a turn of events that would have been shocking had it come in any proceeding other than one related to the Pizzas for Visas affair, the Pizza Guy's legal team took a hike. It would, of course, be completely improper for his now-former lawyers to say what exactly prompted them to "recuse" themselves (legalese for "we're firing our client") but they did recommend that others who have testified in Mr. Singh's Immigration and Refugee Board hearing seek legal counsel.

According to the National Post, Mr. Singh's lawyers bolted after viewing a videotape that taken in a refugee reporting centre. At issue was whether or not the Pizza Guy checked in on the day in question as he was required to. Pizza Guy's daughter testified at the hearing that her father did check in and that she was with him. Her testimony was a contradiction of that of an employee who said that Mr. Singh sent someone in his place - a forbidden practice. (The logical inference is that the video showed that Mr. Singh did not show up, but sent someone in his place - but we don't know for sure.)

A veteran court observer told me that there are only a few reasons for a lawyer to ditch a client in the middle of a proceeding, none of which look good for Mr. Singh. Essentially, the reasons have one thing in common: the client asked his lawyers to do something illegal or unethical (i.e.: continuing to lie or misrepresent facts to the court).

Again, jaws would have dropped were it not for the festival of ridiculousness that surrounds Pizzas for Visas. Media reports have shown that Mr. Singh and his family are anything but trustworthy. They have allegedly been involved in fraud (a credit card skimming scheme), they have claimed to live in abject poverty but were able to purchase a $400,000 home, and he is alleged to have been in possession of forged passports.

Given Mr. Singh's lack of credibility it is difficult to imagine he'll win a reprieve from his deportation which is scheduled for the beginning of February. Then again, stranger things have happened in his time here in Canada.

New Minister may have tried to help Pizza Guy
Pity the new Immigration Minister. He has taken over a portfolio abandoned by his predecessor because of a most bizarre scandal (one that could have been avoided) and set about his work to try to make things better for the Ministry and his government.

Standing in his way are the chief protagonists in the downfall of the former minister (the minister herself who is vigorously defending herself by threatening to sue and the Pizza Guy whose allegations and conduct have been front page news for weeks). Then came word yesterday that ten years ago, he or his office attempted to help the Pizza Guy stay in Canada. It was before Mr. Singh tried to defraud Canadians in is credit card scam, and I truly believe Mr. Volpe was just doing his job. Still, it has got to hurt.

Further Reading:
Retract or face suit: Sgro (Winnipeg Sun)
Sgro demands Singh retraction (Toronto Star)
The twisted life of Harjit Singh (Globe and Mail)
Documents paint unflattering picture of Singh (Canadian Press)
Harjit Singh's lawyers quit immigration case (CTV News)
Lawyers desert Sgro accuser (Toronto Star)
Legal team deserts man who accused Sgro of impropriety (CBC News)
Quitting cases rare, legal veteran says (Toronto Star)
Volpe's office linked to Singh case: reports (CTV News)
Joe Volpe brushes off Singh link (Toronto Star)
Slice of controversy (The Guardian)