Sipu Jha
Eight men were charged in a large commercial driver exam fraud case in Ontario, with most being of Indian origin after police uncovered an alleged bribery scheme linked to Class A licence road tests in the Greater Toronto Area and Kingston.Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say the eight accused face a total of 24 Criminal Code charges following a year-long investigation into irregularities in the commercial driver testing system.The investigation began in January 2024 after the Ontario ministry of transportation asked the OPP’s Serious Fraud Office to look into concerns about the testing process for commercial Class A licences.According to police, investigators found that bribes were allegedly arranged in exchange for favourable treatment during road tests for certain applicants.“The Serious Fraud Office investigation revealed that bribes were facilitated in exchange for favourable consideration during specific applicants’ road examinations,” the OPP said.The accused are from several Ontario cities, including Brampton, Oshawa, Georgetown, North York, Caledon and Kingston.Those charged include:
- Jaspal Benipal, 58 years old, of Brampton, and Harmandeep Sudan, 40 years old, also of Brampton. Both are accused of secret commissions and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.
- Navdeep Grewal, 36 years old, of Brampton, faces charges of secret commissions, money laundering and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.
- Vishnu Ayyamperumal Kumar, 36 years old, of Oshawa, is charged with secret commissions, conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and breach of trust.
- Mandeep Manshahia, 34 years old, of Caledon, faces charges of secret commissions, money laundering, conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and breach of trust.
- The remaining accused are Craig Berry, 54 years old, of Kingston, Victor Imade, 55 years old, of Georgetown, and Imraan Jaffer, 43 years old, of North York. Berry and Manshahia each face four charges, while Imade and Jaffer face three charges each, including breach of trust.
Police allege the scheme allowed some applicants to receive favourable treatment during road tests, helping them obtain or attempt to obtain commercial Class A licences dishonestly.Class A licences allow drivers to operate large vehicles such as tractor-trailers for long distances, which police say makes the integrity of the testing process a serious public safety issue, especially after some fatal accidents caused by immigrant drivers last year. All eight accused have been released from custody and are scheduled to appear in court.
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