Lawyer Roger Balraj Singh Bhatti has agreed to resign from the Law Society and undertaken not to apply for reinstatement after reaching a consent agreement with the Law Society relating to his professional misconduct.
Bhatti admitted he engaged in dishonorable conduct in violation of the Law Society’s Code of Professional Conduct between 2002-2014 in relation to clients he represented who were seeking refugee status in Canada.
His misconduct involved attempting to deceive the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) by creating and filing fake medical notes from physicians to obtain adjournments of proceedings, and submitting false evidence in claims for refugee protection. The false evidence included police reports, medical reports and a death certificate that he knew had been falsified in order to support his clients’ refugee claims.
In 2021, Bhatti pleaded guilty in Provincial Court to 17 counts relating to the forged and false medical notes, as well as the false evidence, and was sentenced to 22 months incarceration.
Bhatti also has a professional conduct record with the Law Society consisting of two referrals to Practice Standards, two conduct reviews, a citation, and a limitation on practice.
The consent agreement can be read here.