Canada Revenue Agency reports $86K fine against agriculture research scientist

Some charges against an agriculture research scientist may have been stayed earlier this year, but a guilty plea on another charge has resulted in a fine of more than $86,000.

In a media release, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) announced that former Swift Current resident Dr. Yantai Gan pleaded guilty May 3 to one count of wilfully evading, or attempting to evade, the payment of tax by understating the taxable income on his personal tax returns from 2012 to 2017 consecutively.

He was fined $86,362 in Swift Current Provincial Court.

Earlier this year, charges of fraud and breach of trust against Gan were stayed after a judge ruled there had been unreasonable delays in bringing the case to trial.

Gan was arrested in Swift Current in November of 2019 after a 21-month-long police investigation. He was ultimately charged with breach of trust by a public officer, fraud over $5,000 and possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000.

According to court documents, investigators alleged that 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 court document also contained 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.

Gan’s trial on those charges was scheduled to start May 1, but the judge stayed the charges.

In its release Thursday, the CRA said as part of Gan’s employment contract with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, he wasn’t to provide his services to others for payment. However, the CRA said its investigation determined Gan received $300,971 through the contracts he signed with the Chinese university and Barilla America from Jan. 1, 2012 to Dec. 31, 2017 — and he didn’t report that income.

The CRA also said Gan didn’t report rental income of $12,127, earned between September of 2016 and December of 2017, on a property in Kelowna, B.C.

“All case-specific information above was obtained from the court records,” the CRA said in its release.