Two men set to face a jury trial together for the astonishing Toronto Pearson airport gold heist have had their hearings separated, and will each now have only a judge decide their fate.
asserted
judge → set → fate
Parmpal Sidhu, 56, who worked at the Air Canada warehouse from where the $22-million shipment of gold bars and currency was stolen in 2023, and Archit Grover, 39, who allegedly owned the truck used to haul the shipment from the airport, will face separate trials a month apart, likely in front of different judges.
Ontario Superior Court Justice Nancy Dennison agreed to separate the prosecutions for the men, both from Brampton, Ont., on Friday, at the request of Grover’s lawyer.
“Archit Grover stands in a different position than his co-accused who are going to trial or who are still on the run,” Grover’s lawyer, Andrew Furgiuele, told National Post.
uncertain
lawyer → work → Post
“The factual considerations relating to his co-accused have no relevance with respect to him.”
asserted
considerations → relate → him
Grover was arrested May 6, 2024, at Pearson airport after he flew back to Canada from India.
uncertain
he → arrest → India
Peel Regional Police announced nine arrest warrants for the gold heist about three weeks before, on the first anniversary of the heist.
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Police → announce → heist
At the time, Grover was named as a fugitive.
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Grover → name → fugitive
“Mr. Grover is looking forward to his trial with the same confidence he had when he immediately came back to Canada to face his charges after the police announced the arrest warrants.
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police → look → warrants
He was not guilty then, is not guilty now, and will remain so after his trial,” Furgiuele said.
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Furgiuele → remain → trial
Sidhu, by contrast, had been quietly arrested in Canada on April 5, 2024, almost two weeks before the splashy police announcement.
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Sidhu → arrest → announcement
Shale Wagman, Sidhu’s lawyer, professed his client’s innocence.
“He’s pleading not guilty for sure.
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He → profess → innocence
He’s doing fine.
asserted
He → do → ?
He’s taking it well.
asserted
He → take → it
He didn’t do anything wrong and he’s anxious to clear his name,” Wagman told National Post.
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Wagman → do → Post
Neither Wagman nor the Crown prosecutor, Jelena Vlacic, opposed the severance motion, according to court records.
uncertain
Wagman → oppose → records
Both accused men then switched their trial choice from a jury trial to being heard by a judge only.
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men → accuse → judge
They were to face a joint trial and had previously asked for it to be heard before a jury.
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it → face → jury
Jury selection was scheduled to begin Oct. 1.
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selection → schedule → ?
Instead, the trial for Sidhu is now scheduled to begin Oct. 5 and run for two or three weeks, and the trial for Grover is set for two weeks in late November.
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trial → schedule → November
Sidhu and Grover face the same two charges.
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Sidhu → face → charges
Each is accused of conspiring with others to commit theft over $5,000, and of stealing gold and bank notes worth more than $5,000 that were the property of the Toronto Dominion Centre, the global headquarters for the TD Bank.
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that → accuse → Bank
Both charges are tied to the date of the airport heist: April 17, 2023.
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charges → tie → heist
It is a quaintness in Canada’s laws that the largest gold heist in Canadian history, and the sixth largest in the world — valued at more than $22 million gold and cash — is prosecuted at the top criminal code threshold of just a $5,000 loss.
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heist → value → loss
Investigators thought that other men might be facing trial for the heist as well.
uncertain
men → think → heist
Two men are considered fugitives-at-large.
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men → consider → ?
Simran Preet Panesar, who was a 31-year-old Air Canada employee at the time of the theft resigned after the heist and left Canada before he was named as being wanted.
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he → resign → Canada
He is believed to have travelled to India.
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He → believe → India
Prasath Paramalingam, 35 at the time of his arrest in 2024 and also from Brampton, was arrested in the original police sweep but later disappeared after his release on bail.
asserted
Paramalingam → arrest → bail
He is now considered a fugitive after failing to appear in court on Aug. 19, 2024.
asserted
He → consider → Aug.
Paramalingam is also wanted in the United States in a related gun-running case.
asserted
Paramalingam → want → case
Durante King-Mclean, 25, of Brampton is in custody in the United States after police stopped a car in Pennsylvania with 65 handguns in the trunk that were being smuggled into Canada.
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that → stop → Canada
Authorities said a portion of the stolen gold was used to fund a cross-border gun-running plot.
asserted
portion → say → plot
He recently pleaded guilty to firearms trafficking charges while he is still wanted in Canada for the gold heist.
asserted
he → plead → heist
Grover is wanted in the United States for alleged involvement in the same gun-running plot.
asserted
Grover → want → plot
In April, the man named as the ringleader of the heist, Arsalan Chaudhary, a 43-year-old man formerly of Mississauga, Ont., was sentenced to four years.
asserted
man → name → years
He too had fled Canada after the grab, settling in Dubai.
asserted
He → flee → Dubai
After negotiations by his lawyer, Chaudhary returned to Canada in January and surrendered to Peel police waiting for him at Pearson airport.
asserted
Chaudhary → return → airport
He pleaded guilty to theft over $5,000.
asserted
He → plead → 5,000
Three other men who had been arrested for the heist have since had their charges dropped.
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charges → arrest → heist
In April, Ammad Chaudhary, 43, from Georgetown, who had been charged with theft over $5,000 and being accessory after the fact, had his charged dropped by the Crown.
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charged → charge → Crown
Last week, charges against two more of the accused were dropped.
asserted
charges → accuse → accused
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
