I didn't know about this and somehow i don't even belive it but whatever o_O.
Yes, unfortunately they can be removed. Even multiple times I believe, if you pay an increasing fee.
User bans can't be removed by paying a fee. Fees only apply to IP "bans".
Ban evasion is not allowed. If it becomes known that someone who was banned created a new account, then they'll be banned again and they'll lose the registration fee that they paid. The fee discourages ban evasion without totally preventing people on shared IPs (especially Tor) from registering.