The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) said a Canada-wide arrest warrant has been issued for a British Columbia man who was included in the Panama Papers.
The CRA said Tuesday Vancouver resident Wentao Yang was wanted for failing to appear in court.
Yang was charged last November with multiple offences, including tax evasion and fraud, both as an individual and as a director for Canadian natural gas producer Kailas Energy Corp.
The CRA said it began investigating Yang after the online release of the Panama Papers by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in 2016. The leak included millions of financial documents exposing the shell companies, offshore entities, and hidden assets of national leaders and the rich around the world.
The CRA alleges that Yang, who previously lived in Calgary, facilitated the acquisition of multiple Canadian oil and gas assets by investor groups in China.
It said Yang failed to report consulting fees he earned in 2015 and 2016, and Kailas failed to report consulting fees for 2015.
“These transactions were done in such a way as to obscure the source of the funds by using several transfers, including through foreign bank accounts, before being deposited into Canadian accounts held by the accused,” said the release from the CRA.
The agency said Yang faces a total of nine charges.
