Whitehorse business owner denies he took part in an immigration scam, files countersuit

A man being sued by his business partner says he approached their shared venture in good faith and denies claims that the business was an immigration scam.

Ivan Tang filed a statement of defence to the Yukon Supreme Court on June 19. He and his sister-in-law, Maggie Ozen, are being sued by Hong Kong national Franklin Lee.

Lee said he was looking for a path to permanent residency when Ozen, an immigration consultant in Whitehorse, advised him to start a dry-cleaning business.

In his lawsuit, Lee alleges that he was told to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into the venture with Tang and paid tens of thousands more in fees to Ozen, only to be trapped in an untenable business situation and no closer to his immigration goal.

Lee is suing Tang and Ozen for $471,000 as well as other damages and costs.

In submissions filed to court, Tang says none of the claims are true. He says both men were looking for a path to permanent residency through the Yukon Nominee Business Program when they opened the drycleaner.

Tang said he did his best to operate the drycleaner responsibly, and it was actually Lee who was a bad business partner. He accuses Lee of overpaying himself, making unilateral decisions, and taking prolonged sick leave of nearly three months.

Tang filed a counterclaim seeking damages for breach of trust and defamation. Lee has not yet filed a statement of defence to Tang's counterclaim.

Both Tang and Lee have asked the court to dissolve their business.

Ozen has not yet filed a statement of defence. She is facing a second lawsuit from a different Yukon business owner, Wenbin Zhang, who claims Ozen and her husband scammed him out of $600,000. Both Zhang and Lee are represented by the same lawyer.

None of the allegations have been tested in court.