The Crown has wrapped up its case against a former Air Canada Cargo employee who is accused of participating in the biggest gold heist in Canadian history.
During the cross-examination of a Peel police investigator Det. Sgt. Sarah Angevine, Parmpal Sidhu’s defence lawyer suggested the wire tap recordings may not be what they seem, and he also zeroed in on the lack of physical evidence against his client.
Lawyer Shale Wagman focused on the air waybill that was used to redirect the shipment of gold away from secure lock up and on to the waiting getaway truck. The bogus document was printed with Sidhu’s employee login but aside from that he says there is nothing else connecting Sidhu to the theft.
Angevine agreed that handwriting analysis was never done on the waybill, saying there wasn’t enough to analyze, that no finger prints were found on the paper and she also testified that on the day of the theft the warehouse camera in the area of the printer was not operating.
The Crown is trying to prove that Sidhu was part of the inside job working with his then supervisor Simran Preet Panesar, who went on to flee the country and is still a wanted fugitive.
The trial heard that on the day of the heist Sidhu and Panesar exchanged a flurry of calls and messages from 5 a.m. until almost 10 p.m.
“On a given day you probably text your boss 10 or 20 times?” Wagman suggested to the investigator.
“No, I don’t,” she replied.
Wagman also proposed a series of wiretap conversations that appear to capture paranoia, chaos and inner fighting about the loot could be about something else entirely.
The trial heard that while Sidhu was under surveillance by the Project 24 karat task force in January of 2024, he was arrested on another matter and charged with mischief for vandalizing a door camera on a residence belonging to someone not connected the investigation.
Wagman suggested that when Sidhu was complaining about credit card debt, making angry calls about being cheated, chasing down money, and even acknowledging his phone was probably tapped, he could have been talking about the mischief charge, suggesting he was broke, needing a lawyer and was mad that no one would lend him money.
Sidhu’s team will not be calling any defence witnesses.
“We did our best and I think a positive outcome is anticipated,” said Wagman outside the courthouse on Wednesday.
Both sides still have to make their final submissions and because this is a judge-only trial, the Justice will set aside a date in the coming weeks to deliver his ruling.
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