Ex-director of MUHC to be returned to Canada

MONTREAL – Former McGill University Health Centre director Arthur Porter (pictured) is being extradited to Canada to face the corruption charges against him, according to news reports. La Presse is reporting that Panama has agreed to Porter’s extradition, where he has been in jail since his arrest in May 2013.

Dr. Porter had been successful in contesting his extradition to Canada until this month, La Presse Canadienne reported.

Porter’s wife, Pamela, did not fight her extradition and has since pleaded guilty to two counts of money laundering. A shell company in her name was used to purchase eight homes, several bought for more than US$1 million.

Porter is alleged to have orchestrated a payment system to funnel $22.5 million in bribes from former executives at engineering firm SNC-Lavalin.

The bribe money is alleged to have been given to secure SNC-Lavalin’s building of the new MUHC super-hospital – a contract worth more than $1 billion in public funds.