Canada-wide arrest warrant issued for man exposed in Panama Papers

OTTAWA — A Canada-wide arrest warrant has been issued for a British Columbia man charged with tax evasion who was exposed in the Panama Papers.

In 2019, the CRA said it had identified nearly 900 Canadian individuals and corporate entities in a 2016 leak of information from a Panamanian law firm that reported hundreds of billions of dollars sheltered in tax havens around the world, at the expense of numerous countries’ treasuries.

Properties tied to Wentao Yang and his wife, Rong Catherine Lu, were targeted in 2018 raids by the Canada Revenue Agency, the RCMP and West Vancouver Police.

In November 2025, Yang was charged with tax evasion and fraud, both as an individual and as a director of Kailas Energy Corp, a natural gas producer.

The Canada Revenue Agency says Yang facilitated the acquisition of multiple Canadian oil and gas assets by investor groups in China, while he and his company failed to report consulting fees.

The agency says nine charges were laid against Yang after a CRA investigation and he has since repeatedly failed to appear in court.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 14, 2026.

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press