Agriculture research scientist bound over for trial

A Swift Current judge has ruled an agriculture research scientist will stand trial on fraud and breach of trust charges.

Yantai Gan, 65, was arrested in Swift Current in November of 2019 after a 21-month investigation.

He was charged with breach of trust by a public officer, fraud over $5,000 and possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000.

A preliminary hearing was held in Swift Current on Monday and Tuesday and, on Thursday, Gan was bound over for trial in Court of Queen’s Bench. Dates for the trial will be set at a later date.

According to court documents, investigators said between Jan. 1, 2012 and June 30, 2018, Gan — while employed as a senior research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Swift Current — allegedly entered into contractual relationships without authorization with the Gansu Agricultural University in China and Barilla America, a subsidiary of Italy’s largest food producer.

It’s alleged he didn’t disclose those contracts to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, or the money he received from those organizations.

The document also contains allegations that Gan had recruited for or organized “an international research collaboration for Gansu Agricultural University,” that he had made travel requests or expense claims that were false, and that he failed to disclose a conflict of interest.

It also claims he defrauded Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada or others of a total of around $180,000 through “Transfer of Work” allowances, his salary from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, remuneration from Barilla America, and false expense claims to the University of Saskatchewan.

The charges were laid after an investigation by the RCMP’s National Security Enforcement Section (NSES). A search warrant was executed at a residence in Swift Current on Nov. 19, 2019.

According to the RCMP website, officers from the NSES and related units “undertake national security criminal investigations into terrorist activities as needed in the antiterrorism provisions of the Criminal Code as well as any occurrence arising out of a threat to the security of Canada, under the Security Offenses Act.”