Canada

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

Quebec anti-corruption squad makes another arrest in Montreal mega-hospital case

By: The Canadian Press

Posted: 03/12/2013 10:09 AM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 03/12/2013 5:12 PM

MONTREAL - Quebec's anti-corruption squad has arrested one of the five men being sought in the case of a billion-dollar project to build a Montreal mega-hospital.

That leaves Arthur Porter, the former head of Canada's spy overseer, as the only one who has so far eluded arrest.

Jeremy Morris was arrested at Montreal's Trudeau airport Monday night as he arrived on a flight from the Bahamas, the anti-corruption squad said in a statement.

Morris, the administrator of a Bahamas-based investment company, is scheduled to appear Tuesday in a Montreal court.

Morris and Porter are among five people wanted on numerous charges — including fraud, breach of trust and document forgery — linked to the $1.3-billion McGill University Hospital Centre project.

The others are former SNC Lavalin senior executives Pierre Duhaime and Riadh Ben Aissa, and former McGill University Hospital Centre administrator Yanai Elbaz — all of whom have already been arrested.

Duhaime and Elbaz are now free on bail. Ben Aissa has been detained in Switzerland since April 2012 and is awaiting trial there on charges related to alleged corruption, fraud and money-laundering in North African countries, including Libya.

The Canadian government is still trying to extradite Porter from the Bahamas, where he runs a medical clinic and is apparently cancer-stricken.

Porter was both director general of the McGill University Hospital Centre and the chair of the Security Intelligence Review Committee when the alleged fraud occurred.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Porter — a medical doctor and cancer specialist — to SIRC in September 2008. He quickly rose to the position of chairman before resigning in November 2011 after reports surfaced about his past business dealings.

Porter has also come under fire for his political donations. Public records show he gave the federal Conservatives $2,200 while at SIRC against Privy Council Office guidelines.

He is the only former SIRC chair to give money to a political party in recent years. Other former SIRC members say they were pointedly told not to donate.

The federal Conservatives insist the fraud allegations have nothing to do with Porter's role at SIRC.

Porter was recently replaced as head of a major medical project in the Antigua and Barbuda over concerns about his health and the fraud allegations he faces in Canada.

Porter, who denies any wrongdoing, has not returned messages left at his clinic in the Bahamas.

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Canada

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.