Brampton men accused of using stolen cheques to defraud Amherst credit union elect Nova Scotia Supreme Court trial
Two Ontario men accused of using stolen cheques to defraud a credit union in Amherst of about $290,000 have elected to be tried in Nova Scotia Supreme Court by a judge alone.
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Hardeep Singh, 46, and Inderpal Singh Gill, 37, were arrested by Amherst police last Jan. 20 and charged with one count of fraud over $5,000 and two counts of possession of more than $5,000 in property obtained by crime.
Police allege the fraud was committed against Mosaik Credit Union between November 2025 and January of this year.
The accused were living together in Amherst when they were charged but are now residing at separate addresses in Brampton, Ont., after getting bail last winter.
Lawyers made the election to Supreme Court on Monday during a brief appearance in Amherst provincial court. Amherst defence lawyer Jim O’Neil was in court on behalf of Singh, while Stephanie Hillson of Nova Scotia Legal Aid acted as an agent for Singh Gill’s lawyer, Daniel Gallant of Riverview, N.B. Judge Rosalind Michie scheduled a preliminary inquiry in provincial court for Sept. 16, 2027.
The inquiry will determine if there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial in Supreme Court and will also give the defence an opportunity to assess the strength of the Crown’s witnesses. Singh was in custody for about two weeks before he was released Feb. 3 on a bail order secured by a $15,000 cash deposit. Singh Gill had been released Jan. 23 after he and his surety each pledged $10,000.
Both men were ordered to remain in Canada, surrender their passports and check in with Amherst police by phone every Friday.
Singh is prohibited from being within 50 metres of any financial institution in Nova Scotia. He’s also banned from communicating with employees of Mosaik Credit Union or any other financial institution in the province.
Singh Gill, meanwhile, must stay away from the credit union and have no contact with its employees.