Gold heist conspirator cites PTSD for memory gaps at co-accused's trial

BRAMPTON · A man convicted in the 2023 Toronto Pearson airport gold heist told a Brampton court Monday he cannot recall the details of his conversations with the accused on the day of the theft. Arsalan Chaudhary resumed his testimony at the trial of Parmpal Sidhu, a former Air Canada employee who has pleaded not guilty to theft over $5,000 and conspiracy. Chaudhary received a four-year prison sentence this spring after pleading guilty to theft and was ordered to pay $22 million in restitution over 40 years. His appearance last week was halted after he said discussing his alleged kidnapping in Pakistan caused him trauma.

Chaudhary stated that on the morning of the heist he informed Sidhu that a truck and driver were prepared, to which Sidhu responded, "OK." Under further questioning by Crown lawyers, however, he repeatedly said he did not remember other specifics or discussions he had referenced in prior sworn statements. The Crown referenced his testimony from July, in which he said he phoned Sidhu three times on April 17, 2023. Chaudhary said he now has no memory of those calls as recorded in the transcripts. He also said he could not recall previously stating that he and Sidhu had discussed the logistics of the operation.

"I wasn’t trying to remember my past. I was trying to move on," Chaudhary told the court. "The things the Crown and judge appointed me to do … the correctional plan, I was following that and I was trying to move forward with my life." He attributed his inability to remember to post-traumatic stress disorder and said he requires treatment for his mental health. "I’m not sure how PTSD works," he said. "The counsellor told me that (memory loss) does happen and if we work on it together, you will get better." Chaudhary added that he did not believe Sidhu's contact information was saved in his phone, but he could not explain how he had called him.

Prosecutors allege Sidhu used his position as an Air Canada employee to supply a fraudulent waybill, enabling another individual to collect over $22 million in gold and cash from an airport cargo facility. Peel Regional Police have said the heist resulted in the theft of 6,600 gold bars weighing more than 400 kilograms after a shipment arrived from Switzerland. In testimony last week, Chaudhary said he orchestrated the robbery with another man who remains at large, and his share was 30 percent of the boxes containing one-ounce gold bars. He said he melted down a portion of the gold before travelling to Pakistan, where he claimed he was abducted and tortured until he surrendered the stolen property. Chaudhary had asked the court last week to be returned to the federal prison where he is serving his sentence, stating he had been held at a provincial facility for about three weeks without his prescribed medications. Superior Court Justice Gordon Cudjoe ordered his return to Collins Bay Institution in Kingston, Ont., and his transport back to Brampton to continue testifying. The trial continues.

With files from The Canadian Press, CityNews and CBC News