Caribbean News Now!

By Travis Cartwright-Carroll
Nassau Guardian Staff Reporter

NASSAU, Bahamas -- Jeremy Morris, a Bahamian resident accused in an elaborate fraud scheme in Canada, turned himself in to Montreal police on Tuesday, according to Anne-Frédérick Laurence, press liaison of Quebec’s anti-corruption unit.

Authorities recently issued arrest warrants for Morris and four other men, including Cancer Centre managing director Dr Arthur Porter, who resides in New Providence, Bahamas.

The men are wanted in connection with fraud charges stemming from the construction of a $1.3 billion hospital project.

Porter was CEO of McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) from 2004 to 2011.

According to a statement from the anti-corruption unit, Morris is wanted in connection with fraud, conspiracy to defraud, defrauding the government and recycling proceeds of crime.

Porter is wanted in connection with fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, fraud against the government, embezzlement, breach of trust, secret commissions and laundering proceeds of crime, according to Laurence.

Canadian media reported that an affidavit had been released that provided a more detailed account of the alleged fraud.

According to the document, Porter and another MUHC executive orchestrated the transfer of $22.5 million from SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., the engineering firm that eventually won the hospital contract, to Bahamas-based company Sierra Asset Management.

Morris is the man allegedly in charge of the Sierra.

Yanai Elbaz, Riadh Ben Aissa, Pierre Duhaime, along with Porter and Morris are wanted in connection with 24 counts of fraud.

Porter and Riadh Ben Aissa have not been arrested by Canadian authorities.

Ben Aissa is currently in jail in Switzerland, said Laurence, but the anti-corruption unit is working to arrest both he and Porter.

Porter, who reportedly has stage four cancer, said he is unfit to travel and if police want to speak with him, they should fly to The Bahamas.

Canadian authorities have said that they were working on extraditing Porter.

Republished with permission of the Nassau Guardian

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