The Tribune

By DANA SMITH

Tribune Staff Reporter

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

CANADIAN authorities say they are “continuing (their) work” regarding the arrest of Bahamas cancer chief Arthur Porter following the Montreal airport arrest of a Nassau resident who was wanted on similar fraud charges.

Quebec’s anti-corruption squad said yesterday that Jeremy Morris was arrested by authorities on arrival at the Montreal-Trudeau Airport as he entered the country from the Bahamas Monday night. He appeared in court yesterday.

Arrest warrants were sent out for Mr Morris, Dr Porter and three other men, last month, after investigators had probed allegations of fraud at Montreal’s McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), where Dr Porter served as former chief 
administrator until his resignation in 2011.

Anne-Frederick Laurence, a spokesperson for Quebec’s anti-corruption squad confirmed to The Tribune: “(Mr Morris) was arrested last night when he came in at the Montreal airport and today (Tuesday) he’s facing justice.”

Ms Laurence would not say if arrangements had been made between authorities and Mr Morris regarding his travel to Canada, only revealing that he arrived alone.

When asked if the organisation is focusing on Dr Porter – the only man still free, out of the group of five – she said: “Sure, we’re continuing our work on that. We’re continuing the process.”

Ms Laurence said the organisation would not comment further on the matter.

Dr Porter is wanted on charges of committing fraud against the government, accepting bribes, and conspiracy.

When reached for comment, Dr Porter’s secretary told the press that the Cancer Centre of the Bahamas’ managing director would release a statement sometime today.

It was January that Dr Porter hit back at “spurious” allegations surrounding his business ventures, and tenure and resignation from MUHC.

According to The Globe & Mail, the Quebec government released the results of an audit that found MUHC’s planned deficit of $12-million has ballooned to $115-million – a financial state so precarious that the hospital network has been assigned a special overseer to monitor its spending.

Quebec’s anti-corruption task force has also alleged that the hospital network was the victim of fraud in connection with its planned super-hospital.

Police had charged two former executives at SNC-Lavalin, the engineering firm that was awarded the contract during Dr Porter’s tenure as head of MUHC, with multiple criminal charges, including fraud.

The Globe claimed a company called Sierra Asset Management signed a contract with SNC-Lavalin in 2009 to help secure a deal to build a new facility at MUHC; and earlier this month, investigators had questioned if links existed between Dr Porter and Sierra Asset Management.

Sierra Asset Management has a registered address at a Bay Street building, but no operations, the newspaper said, naming Jeremy Morris as the alleged registered principal of Sierra.