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TORONTO — Prosecutors argued Wednesday that an Ontario judge “speculated and drew inferences” not grounded in evidence when he granted bail to a Toronto-area lawyer accused of advising the murder of a federal witness in an alleged international drug smuggling ring.
Lawyers for the Attorney General of Canada are asking the Court of Appeal for Ontario to order that 62-year-old Deepak Paradkar be detained until his extradition hearing.
In documents filed in February, the Crown said the Appeal Court’s intervention is necessary to “salvage the public’s confidence in the administration of justice, to protect the public, and to ensure that Canada’s ability to comply with treaty obligations in this important case is not frustrated.”
Paradkar was arrested for extradition to the U.S. last fall along with several other Canadians as part of an FBI investigation targeting Ryan Wedding, the former Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin.
Prosecutors allege the Thornhill, Ont., defence lawyer advised Wedding on the murder of a federal witness, introduced the former athlete to drug traffickers who moved product through North America and directed intelligence gathering after drugs were seized by law enforcement.
In December, Paradkar was released on bail under conditions that include 24-7 house arrest, GPS monitoring and no access to electronic devices unless in the presence of his sureties.
Paradkar and his wife, who is his primary surety, also jointly pledged $5 million in bail.
In their application for bail review, prosecutors argued Superior Court Justice Peter Bawden “failed to perform any meaningful scrutiny” of Paradkar’s wife, ignoring her role in his legal practice and “the obvious implications of the family’s conspicuous and unexplained wealth.”
“I argue that he failed to meaningfully grapple with material evidence that was called in cross-examination, that he speculated and drew inferences that were not grounded in evidence,” prosecutor Heather Graham told the court Wednesday.
Graham argued that the court failed to consider two days of testimony, including cross-examination in which the Paradkars testified about details of their assets not disclosed in affidavits. This evidence was not addressed in Bawden’s reasons for decision, she argued.
Graham further argued the judge failed to grapple with the fact that the family’s relatively modest income didn’t align with its luxurious lifestyle, which included leasing four high-end cars and an insurance claim for a large amount of designer items.
“It’s clear that he failed to consider their testimony, which was crucial evidence to all of the grounds for detention and flight risk. He failed to look at whether this might mean something about hidden resources to flee,” Graham said.
Bawden said in December that he found it unlikely that Paradkar would flee, suggesting the organization would be more inclined to kill him than help him.
“The most compelling reason to believe Mr. Paradkar will attend court and comply with house arrest bail terms is that it may be the only way to stay alive,” the judge said in his ruling.
Bawden also found that Paradkar’s health conditions, which include diabetes and a history of heart problems, would make it difficult to stay on the run as he would eventually need medical care. Remaining in detention would also be harmful to his health, the judge said.
Meanwhile, the judge deemed Paradkar’s wife an “intelligent, reliable and determined surety” who understood that complying with the bail conditions would best protect her family.
Graham argued Wednesday that Bawden failed to “properly scrutinize” Paradkar’s wife as a surety. The wife testified she had changed the passwords on the home’s devices and Wi-Fi so that Paradkar would not be able to access them, but Graham argued that’s “not effective or sufficient” as devices can be concealed or transferred between people.
The judge’s comments that the criminal network would be more likely to target Paradkar than protect him amounts to “speculation,” the Crown argued in its application.
Bawden also gave too much weight to Paradkar’s health and safety in custody, it further argued.
“Justice Bawden pointed to Paradkar’s medical history while ignoring his evidence in cross-examination that his health has been stable for the past four or five years, it has not interfered with his ability to travel internationally, and he had not suffered any medical incidents in custody,” the application says.
Paradkar’s defence lawyer, Ravin Pillay, argued Wednesday that Bawden “meaningfully considered” the issues in the case and rendered a lengthy decision that was “free of any error.”
“He didn’t, in any way, make a decision that was not supported by evidence,” Pillay argued.
Pillay further argued that Bawden did fully consider Paradkar’s flight risk in his decision, which is shown in the “extremely restrictive” release order, including the $5-million bail, house arrest and his properties being subject to liens.
“All of that reflects that justice Bawden, in my respectful submission, was very, very acutely aware of any risk of flight and crafted conditions to meaningfully address that,” Pillay argued.
As the extradition process continues in Canada, authorities in the U.S. are preparing to bring Ryan Wedding to trial after a lengthy manhunt.
The Thunder Bay, Ont., native was arrested in Mexico in January and taken back to the United States, where he was listed among the FBI’s 10 most wanted fugitives.
The 44-year-old former athlete is alleged to have ordered the murders of several people, including a witness who could testify against him in a 2024 narcotics case.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2026.
Rianna Lim and Paola Loriggio, The Canadian Press
