The Supreme Court of British Columbia has confirmed that monetary penalties and disgorgement orders from regulatory proceedings are exempt from a bankruptcy discharge. In 2015, the British Columbia Securities Commission ordered Thalbinder Singh Poonian and Shailu Poonian to pay more than $19 million in penalties and disgorgement after the commission found that the pair had engaged in market manipulation. In 2018, the Poonians sought a discharge from bankruptcy absolving them of their debts. The British Columbia Supreme Court denied their application for an absolute or suspended discharge from bankruptcy under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.

The ruling sends a strong message that securities law violators may have difficulty using bankruptcy laws to release themselves of the financial consequences of their wrongdoing.

April 30, 2021