Sukh Dhaliwal
Photograph by: submitted , for Surrey NOW
Sukh Dhaliwal said he didn't know he was facing six charges under the Income Tax Act when the B.C. Liberal Party chose him to be its candidate for Surrey-Panorama in the coming provincial election.
The former Liberal MP for Newton-North Delta and his wife, Roni, have been charged with failing to comply with the Income Tax Act in connection with Genko Consultants Inc., of which Sukh is president and Roni is the secretary.
Sukh faces six charges, and Roni, 14. They were to appear in Surrey provincial court this morning.
"There's nothing sneaky," Dhaliwal said. "I'm taking responsibility. I'm not hiding anything. I'm working to resolve this matter through proper channels."
Dhaliwal said his personal income taxes are up to date and Genko is one of three companies he's involved with.
"I had little to do with the day to day operations," he told the Now.
Genko is a holding company connected with buying and selling properties.
Asked how he thinks this will affect his election prospects in May, Dhaliwal said he thinks it won't because he's doing all he can to clear things up. "I'm pretty honest," he said.
His campaign manager, Al Payne, said that although Dhaliwal's candidacy happened after the charges were sworn, "he didn't even known about it until 30 days after the charges were sworn."
Dhaliwal was the Liberal MP for Newton-North Delta from 2006 to 2011, when the NDP's Jinny Sims defeated him. His wife Roni is a Surrey bylaws officer.
