VPD officer Kal Dosanjh, charged with fraud and theft, is embroiled in several lawsuits, sued by at least six investors in real estate deals
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Two of the three housing developments at the centre of a Vancouver police investigation that led to charges against police officer Kal Dosanjh are also the subject of a complex civil case he and others face in B.C. Supreme Court.
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The lawsuit was filed more than three years ago by six business people who are also on the list of investors identified by the VPD as “victims” related to the fraud, theft and breach charges against Dosanjh.
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Dosanjh, a 26-year VPD veteran, and co-accused Sarabjit Gill were charged last week with one count each of fraud and of theft involving three housing developments, for a total of six criminal charges each.
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Dosanjh alone faces one count each of fraud and theft against the at-risk kids charity, Kids Play Foundation, that he helped found in 2015, and breach of trust as a public officer related to the charity allegations.
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Police in the criminal charges identify the three housing developments as Queen’s Park, Sahara and Azura. They allege Dosanjh and Gill defrauded or stole a total of $3 million from 19 victims, all investors.
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The Queen’s Park development and one called the 64th Avenue project, which refers to the Sahara development, are also named in at least one lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court by several individuals and companies who invested in those developments and allege legal agreements were violated.
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They allege their investments were lost because of financial improprieties by those they are suing, including Dosanjh and Gill.
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With criminal charges, the prosecution must prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt for a conviction. In a civil case, the standard of proof is lower and a judge weighs evidence to determine which version presented to the court is more likely to have occurred before deciding if restitution or damages are warranted.
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None of the allegations in the lawsuits have been tried before a judge. And Dosanjh has filed responses to the lawsuits denying all allegations and calling them false and malicious.
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Asked why allegations in a civil lawsuit ended up being investigated by police, VPD spokesman Darren Wong said they came to police attention after a complaint to the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner, which investigates complaints of police wrongdoing. VPD investigated the complaint and it led to the charges, he said in an email.
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In the 2023 civil lawsuit, the plaintiffs ask the court to order the defendants to account for any profits or revenues they earned in connection with a number of properties they invested in, including those referred to as the proposed Queen’s Park in Mission and the Sahara in Surrey, and to award them their share according to the interest they owned.
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The criminal and civil legal processes are separate, but the plaintiffs in that lawsuit include six of the 24 investors Dosanjh is forbidden from contacting, according to his bail conditions.
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The plaintiffs allege Dosanjh, Gill and others violated a joint agreement formed to invest in real estate in 2018, according to the civil case. They say most individuals invested $150,000 or $300,000 each which gave them either a 4.5 per cent or nine per cent stake in a property the lawsuit calls the 60th Avenue property in Surrey.
