A man trying to take back a guilty plea he made four years ago for an online gambling company fraud in Burnaby almost a decade ago has taken 11 months to get his application together – and he’s not there yet.
Naresh Singh Mann (a.k.a. Nash Mann) indicated in January that he wanted to take back a guilty plea he entered in October 2018 to one count of fraud over $5,000, according to Crown prosecutor John Neal.
Mann is alleged to have claimed the investment would generate “significant returns” in six months, according to the BC Securities Commission, which investigated the company.
“Rather than invest the money as promised, it is alleged Mann misappropriated the bulk of the invested funds,” stated a BCSC news release after the charges were approved in April 2018.
Eighteen court dates have been scheduled in Mann’s case since he announced his plans to withdraw his guilty plea.
“He’s been in the process for some time now of getting legal advice on that,” said defence lawyer Chandra Corriveau, who represented him at an appearance Wednesday.
Corriveau requested and was granted another adjournment to Jan. 10.
Neal raised concerns about how long it has taken for Mann to actually make the application to withdrawn his guilty plea, and he said Mann’s next court appearance should be in-person.
“Having him attend personally is the only idea I have to push this matter forward,” Neal said.
