Judge orders arrest warrant for B.C. doctor with history of spousal abuse who fled country
CBC
Warning: This story references physical and domestic abuse.
A B.C. judge has ordered a Canada-wide warrant for the arrest of a doctor with a history of domestic violence who fled the country in the face of a growing bill for unpaid spousal and child support.
Anesthesiologist Dr. Sujay Ishwarlall, formerly of Duncan, has faced criminal charges in two countries for assaulting his ex-wife and was "physically, emotionally, and financially violent" toward her throughout their 15-year marriage, according to a recent B.C. Supreme Court judgment.
Ishwarlall cleared out his bank accounts and took off for his home country of South Africa sometime last year, after the most recent set of charges was resolved through a peace bond and he was ordered to pay thousands of dollars a month to support his family, Justice Catherine Murray's March 2 decision shows.
His refusal to pay child or spousal support has left his family "financially destitute," she wrote, granting a divorce to his former wife.
Murray's judgment includes a long list of orders against Ishwarlall, including an order for an arrest warrant for contempt of court stemming from his repeated violation of court orders commanding him to disclose financial information. Murray wrote that he has "flagrantly disregarded" the court's authority.
She also granted a protection order restraining him from any contact with his child and former wife.
"Given Dr. Ishwarlall's history of violence, his apparent inability to control his anger and violent tendencies, along with his potential for serious violence, I find that … family violence is likely to occur," Murray wrote.
In all, Ishwarlall has been ordered to pay more than $640,000 in penalties, expenses and unpaid child and spousal support, plus special costs. Murray added that "as Dr. Ishwarlall has demonstrated the lengths to which he will go to avoid paying child or spousal support, I am satisfied that [his ex-wife] must be awarded full ownership of all assets."
Ishwarlall was ordered in May 2022 to begin paying child and spousal support but has paid nothing to his ex-wife and only three months of child support so far, Murray wrote.
Neither Ishwarlall nor his lawyer, Nathan Ganapathi, attended the trial, according to the judgment. CBC has reached out to Ganapathi for comment but has yet to receive a response.
According to the judgment, Ishwarlall's ex-wife kicked him out of the family home in June 2020 after their child threatened to run away if she didn't end the marriage.
Ishwarlall had become "extremely violent" toward his family during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic when they were often stuck at home together, Murray wrote.
"On an almost daily basis, he was physically and emotionally abusive," the judgment says.
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WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse and includes graphic content.
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