Former TNRD chief administrative officer Sukh Gill, seen speaking at a Rotary Club of Kamloops meeting in 2017, was at the centre of recent financial investigations at the regional district.

Image Credit: Rotary Club of Kamloops

Despite a forensic audit that shows he personally benefited from hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money he wasn't entitled to, it appears the former top manager of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District will face no consequences for his actions.

The RCMP has already said Sukh Gill will not be charged with any crimes. Meanwhile, he continues to live a quiet life in retirement in Kamloops and continues to enjoy personal and professional association memberships attained because of his former position — even public accolades and recognition of his work.

Auditors discovered Gill directed thousands of dollars in regional district business to friends, personally benefited from tens of thousands of dollars in both discretionary and improper expenses as well as oversaw or directed $200,000 in non-itemized expenses, used labour and materials from the regional district and its contractors to work on his home, as well as allegations of bullying to get other staff to follow along. And that’s just from the last five years covered by the audit; Gill was with the organization for 20 years, including 12 years as director of finance.

He maintains his professional accreditations and drew $500,000 payout until October 2021 as severance for his “retirement," even though his departure came shortly after allegations against him.

Gill has not responded to iNFOnews.ca after multiple attempts by phone and at his home for comment.

Asked if any one individual would be held accountable in the fallout of the scandal, regional district board chair Ken Gillis could not say.

"I really don't know how to answer that," he said. "I think because of the nature of Mr. Gill's departure, that renders it impossible for me to answer that question."

Gillis said it's possible the regional district could pursue a civil case but he "had not heard any suggestions of that" at the regional district.

The final audit report detailed how Gill circumvented financial policies, used non-itemized receipts, filed expenses under multiple budget items and on several credit cards to cover this tracks and was responsible for extravagant restaurant spending but he remains a chartered professional accountant.

READ MORE: Forensic audit uncovers 'culture of intimidation' at TNRD

Edward Tanaka, vice president of professional conduct for the Chartered Professional Accountants of B.C., confirmed his membership in an emailed statement.

"Protecting the public is our primary mandate, and we are aware of the situation and are monitoring it," Tanaka said.

The association regulates accountants in B.C., and while it does publish discipline cases and hearings for the public on its website, Tanaka said the association's legislation restricts those hearings and decisions from publishing names.

BDO Canada auditors also found a culture of both "inappropriate" spending and of bullying and harassment at the regional district.

In the final report, published in January, it revealed a network of suspicious connections between Gill and organizations outside the regional district, including several restaurants and contractors which appeared to get preferential treatment.

On at least one occasion, investigators found Gill directed staff to solicit donations to the charity golf tournament IndoCanLinks from regional district vendors.

"It would be awesome if you could help (Gill) out on this one. [Redacted] is the one who okay’s all of the P.O.’s I issue, so it would look great on your companies part," an email quoted in the BDO report reads.

Gill is one of ten members of a committee that organizes the IndoCanLinks event and it appears he’s still welcome. Ravinder Dhaliwal, also part of the group, would not confirm that Gill was still on the committee, but said the group has not changed since COVID put any future events on hold.

Upon reviewing Gill's regional district emails, investigators found hundreds related to non-regional district matters. This included more than 740 emails related to IndoCanLinks and 560 related to the Rotary Club of Kamloops between 2015 and 2019.

READ MORE: Forensic audit questions favoured vendors at TNRD

President of the Aurora Rotary Club of Kamloops, Mike Bowden, would not confirm if Gill remains a member with the club.

"I don't know if I can divulge membership information," Bowden said.

He added that Rotary Clubs do not allow for business-related matters during Rotary events and meetings.

Gill was formerly on the board of governors at Thompson Rivers University, but he resigned in February 2021, a year after his departure. He served on the university's finance committee, audit committee and the advisory committee for investments.

He was also formerly a board member for the Municipal Insurance Association of B.C., which is a non-profit that offers liability and property insurance to municipal governments across the province.

According to its website, Gill was a key figure when the association "completely restructured" its accounting and financial reporting systems to abide by international financial reporting standards.

"More importantly, Gill's thoughtful counsel has made him a trusted advisor to both the board and management," a booklet marking the association's thirtieth anniversary reads.

Although board members must be either employees or elected officials of a municipal government, the regional district agreed in its February 2020 severance agreement to "not object" to Gill's continued tenure with the insurance association.

READ MORE: TNRD debacle cost $1 million to taxpayers

Chief executive officer of the insurance association, Tom Barnes, said Gill served out his term until the next board election in September 2020. Gill was a long-serving board member and also involved with various committees. His time with the insurance association spanned more than a decade.

"There were never any issues at an operational level that Gill was involved in," Barnes said. "He was in a governance role. He wasn't carrying out any financial work for the organization."

As the regional district continues to revisit its financial reporting policies and consider auditor recommendations, the board's focus is to ensure inappropriate spending is not allowed to continue.

RCMP began notifying those involved in the investigation that it had reached its conclusion and no charges would be laid "just prior to the release of the audit report," according to E Division spokesperson Sgt. Kris Clark.

"I can't speak to the specifics of an investigation but I can tell you that the investigation was very thorough and investigators looked at all the information available prior to determining whether or not to recommend charges," Clark, of the Federal Serious and Organized Crime unit said in an emailed statement.

Should the investigation continue, the onus is on the regional district to forward more information to RCMP. Legislative services manager, Deanna Campbell, said the regional district will not be forwarding any more information at this time.

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