The owners of a restaurant in Nanaimo were awarded almost $1.7 million by the Supreme Court of B.C. in a lawsuit against the Canada Revenue Agency.

In a ruling Friday, Justice Robert Punnett found the CRA 91裸聊视频渧icariously liable91裸聊视频� for the conduct of an investigator in prosecuting Tony and Helen Samaroo for tax evasion and found that the CRA91裸聊视频檚 conduct was 91裸聊视频渉igh-handed, reprehensible and malicious.91裸聊视频�

In 2008, the Canada Revenue Agency issued an indictment against the the MGM Restaurant for allegedly skimming $1.7 million between 2004-2005 via incomplete reporting of sales summaries. However, the Samaroos were acquitted in 2011 after they were able to plausibly explain their bookkeeping.

In e-mailed communications during the investigation leading up to that trial, CRA employees joked about potential news coverage of a guilty verdict and whether it would 91裸聊视频渃all for a guillotine.91裸聊视频�

The Samaroos commenced their lawsuit in 2012, positing that CRA employees initiated a prosecution 91裸聊视频渨ithout reasonable and probable grounds and with malice,91裸聊视频� according to last week91裸聊视频檚 judgment. The defendant argued that there was no evidence to suggest that there wasn91裸聊视频檛 91裸聊视频渞easonable and probable cause91裸聊视频� for prosecution, 91裸聊视频渘or is there evidence that the defendants acted for a purpose other than to place the case before the court for adjudication.91裸聊视频�

Punnett wrote in his judgment that after CRA employees 91裸聊视频渓ooked forward with unprofessional glee to the plaintiffs91裸聊视频� anticipated conviction and sentencing and their resulting ruination.91裸聊视频�

Tony and Helen Samaroo, who no longer live together, were awarded $300,000 each in punitive damages and were awarded $750,000 in punitive damages and $347,732 in legal expenses.

The justice noted that 91裸聊视频渘o amount of punitive damages will cause the CRA financial hardship.91裸聊视频�