The Beginning of the End for Dr. Arthur T. Porter IV

Despite being safe in the Bahamas, Arthur Porter thought he’d be safe to go on vacation in Panama. via

Quebec's anti-corruption squad hit another jackpot on Monday, announcing the arrest of the long sought-after Dr. Arthur Porter and his wife, Pamela, by the authorities in Panama. Canadian authorities first issued a warrant for Porter’s arrest in February of this year for several fraud charges relating to shady international business ventures and some of his many positions in the Canadian health care and political scene. Of course it comes as no surprise to Quebecers that it all comes down to the now infamous Montreal corruption scandal.

Porter first entered the Canadian scene when he was hired to head up the construction a multibillion-dollar health centre at McGill University (MUHC), in Montreal. In 2008, Stephen Harper appointed him to a watchdog committee of Canada’s spy agency, meaning he Porter had access to the country’s most secret of secrets. Perhaps his appointment had to do with yearly donations Porter had been making to the Tories since 2004.

Porter’s fall from Grace, which we’ve already told you about, began in November 2011 when it was revealed that Porter was involved in a dubious secret contract with a former Israeli spy. Porter and his wife soon picked up their belongings and escaped to the Bahamas after resigning from his federal post and quitting his role with the MUHC several months before his contract ended.

It was revealed Thursday that, while living in the Bahamas, Porter’s criminal activities continued through 2012. New criminal charges cover a later period, extending to the end of 2012; it’s an extension on the earlier February charges. These new charges allege that Porter’s criminal involvement with the MUHC contract extended past his resignation. As the Montreal Gazette reports, Porter is one of seven (so far) people who have been tied to an attempt to embezzle millions from the MUHC project.

One of these seven people was once one of the top dogs at SNC-Lavalin, the engineering firm constructing the Montreal hospital. The engineering firm has been at the centre of the Quebec’s corruption and more recently, the company has faced several challenges with the World Bank and the Canadian International Development Agency banning the company from bidding on projects. Want more?

In May, An affidavit from the police from their search of the firm’s Montreal headquarters showed incomplete immigration papers for Al-Saadi Gadhafi (Muammar Gadhafi’s son) with a VP offer at the company. Meanwhile, the CBC reported that the firm was using a code system in their accounting meant to hide bribes made in Africa and parts of Asia. More recently, SNC-Lavalin announced it will be offering amnesty to whistleblowers in the company, but the reports can only be made between June 3rd and Aug. 1st.

Somehow, it seems a little sketchy. Amnesty, really? Saying they’re offering amnesty seems more like a ploy to get the firm back in people’s good books more than anything. While many, or most, of the employees working for this massive company probably know nothing about all of its inner workings, it’s difficult to imagine that a whistleblower’s position would not be endangered in some way. This is a company rife with corruption and under the table deals. They’ve got some serious trust issues, no?

Meanwhile, Dr. Porter’s actions have been highly suspicious. He has avoided Interpol for several months saying he could respond to summons from the Quebec anti-corruption agency due to his cancer treatments in the Bahamas—he says he’s struggling from an aggressive stage four lung cancer, a result of a personal examination of X-rays. Why then, did he think he was safe to leave the country? Did he not realize that Interpol had been waiting to arrest him? Although, to be fair, it’s unsure why the international authorities could not arrest him from his home in the Bahamas.

Even before all these accusations and warrants began, did the people who put him in these positions of power, including Stephen Harper, not realize the trail of mystery and doubt Porter left behind him? Were these people not aware of Porter’s past work in Detroit where he sunk a hospital in millions of dollars in debt? It seems that Porter’s long time donations to the Tories had been giving him a leg up in the political rounds long ago. It scares me to think what else he could have been doing, or who he could have been possibly bribing all this time.

Reports say the doctor was able to avoid arrest by traveling with his Sierra Leon ambassador card. Now he and the Misses are sitting in a Panama City jail, while the extradition process gets underway. Porter announced this week that he does not plan on fighting the extradition. He has 15 days to decide as of the day of his arrest. Given his reputation, his money, and his international connections, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Arthur Porter managed to pull a fast one and maneuver his way out of this.

But let’s not get our hopes up.

Follow Ken on Twitter: @kjrwall

For more on Canadian corruption:

Dr. Arthur T. Porter IV Got Very, Very Rich From Ripping Off Canadians

Quebec's Mafia Corruption Is All Out in the Open