Arthur Porter (physician)

The Honourable Dr. Arthur Porter PC, MBBChir
Born	1956 Freetown, Sierra Leone
Nationality	Canadian
Occupation	Physician
Spouse(s)	Pamela Mattock Porter
Parent(s)	Arthur T Porter III

Arthur T. Porter IV, PC, (born in 1956 in Freetown, Sierra Leone) is a Canadian physician.^[1]

In February 2004, Porter was appointed Director General and CEO of the McGill University Health Centre in Montréal, Canada, one of Canada's largest academic health centres.^[2][3]

He also served as Chair of the Security Intelligence Review Committee of Canada which reviews the activities of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Canada's spy agency. He was appointed to the position by Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper on September 3, 2008, and along with that appointment, was made a Privy Councillor.^[4]

He was succeeded as Chair of the Security Intelligence Review Committee by Chuck Strahl.^[5]

On May 27, 2013 he was arrested in Panama on fraud charges, alleging he took part in a $22.5 million kick-back scheme related to the construction of Montreal University Health Centre's new $1.3 billion hospital. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) called it the biggest fraud investigation in Canadian history.^[1][6] He claimed no wrongdoing. More than a year later, while still in prison, he filed a $150 million lawsuit against the Republic of Panama, claiming damages incurred from his arrest and imprisonment in the country.

That suit cites Panamanian Law 2502 which states that if a person being sought on extradition does not face a hearing within 60 days of their detention, they are to be freed.

He also complained to the United Nations that his human rights had been violated.

As of September 2014, Porter was still under arrest in Panama awaiting extradition to Canada .^[7]

Porter has composed a memoir, "The Man Behind the Bow Tie: Arthur Porter on Business, Politics and Intrigue", with writer and biographer T.R. Todd, which was released September 12, 2014.^[8]

Personal life

Arthur Porter was born in Sierra Leone. He holds both Canadian and American citizenship. He is married to a Briton, Pamela Mattock Porter and has four children. His father Dr Arthur Porter, holds the distinction of having spearheaded the expansion of the University of NAIROBI in Kenya, during the years of former founding father of the Kenyan nation - president Jomo Kenyatta. Visit the Nairobi University and you will see notices acknowledging this wonderful service to the University. Mrs Porter was of Scandinavian origin.

Porter received his early education in Sierra Leone and Kenya, East Africa. After attending the University of Sierra Leone, Porter earned his M.B.A. from the University of Tennessee and certificates in Management from Harvard University and the University of Toronto. He was also bestowed a Fellowship and Diplomate status in Healthcare Administration from the American Academy of Medical Administrators.

He studied in Canada at Western University in London, Ont., Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine in London, U.K.,^[9][10] and he also attended Harvard, the University of Toronto and the University of Tennessee, obtaining medical management and administration certifications, degrees in medicine, natural sciences, medical and radiation oncology.^[4]

Corruption scandals

He resigned as chair of Canada's spy agency in December 2011,^[2] three months before the end of his contract, after the National Post published revelations of his business dealings with international lobbyist and close ties to the president of Sierra Leone.^[11]

Porter's questionable business dealings and foreign connections included his relationship with Ari Ben-Menashe, a Montreal-based businessman and an ex-Israeli international lobbyist and arms dealer, who was arrested and charged in the United States for illegally attempting to sell military transport airplanes to Iran.^[12][13]

Career

Following his training in Medical and Radiation Oncology, Porter assumed several senior positions in Canada, including that of Senior Specialist at the University of Alberta, Chief of Radiation Oncology at the London Regional Cancer Centre (University of Western Ontario) and Chairman of Oncology at Victoria Hospital, Ontario, Canada.

In 1991, he was appointed Radiation Oncologist-in-chief, Professor and Chairman of the Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State University. During the subsequent five years, Porter accepted several other concurrent positions, including Director of Clinical Care at the Karmanos Cancer Institute and Associate Dean at the Wayne State University School of Medicine.

He founded a cancer clinic is Nassau, in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas known as the Cancer Centre.^[14]

In 1999, Porter was named CEO of the Detroit Medical Center, a US$1.6 billion health system, which is also one of the United States’ largest urban systems and the largest non-government employer in Detroit.^[15][16][17]

In 2001, Porter was appointed to the Presidential Commission charged with reviewing the health care provided by the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration.^[18]

In August 2002, Michigan Governor John Engler appointed Porter to a four-year term as Chairman of Michigan’s Hospital Commission.^[1][19][20]

Term at McGill University

Regardless of warnings given to McGill University's hired head hunters in 2003, by former dean of Wayne State University School of Medicine, John Crissman M.D., in February 2004, Porter was appointed Director General and CEO of the McGill University Health Centre in Montréal, Canada, one of Canada's largest academic health centres engaged in a multi-billion-dollar redevelopment project.^[21]

On February 12, 2008, Porter, then Director General and CEO of the McGill University Health Centre, announced the launch of the Institute for Strategic Analysis and Innovation website.^[22]

He completed his second term in December 2011, having handed the academic health centre the largest grant to a single institution from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (nearly $100 million) that was matched by the Québec government and supported by donors to bring research funding to $250 million.^[23][24]

In November 2012, McGill University filed a lawsuit seeking repayment of $317,154 which he owes the university, and indicating that Porter responded to a letter in October demanding payment of the outstanding amount within one week only with a three-line email, and that they have not heard from him since then.^[25]

Following the controversy over the unpaid loans from McGill University, the university describes Porter as "of unknown address", with McGill's suit indicating he gave his current addresses as post office boxes in the Bahamas and in Sierra Leone.^[25] The National Post reported in November 2012 that he was receiving treatment for a "self-diagnosed" cancer in the Cancer Centre that he has established in the Bahamas and of which he is Managing Director.^[26][27] It also gave a link to a story in the Turks and Caicos Magazine, which refers to his establishing cancer centres both in the Turks and Caicos and Bahamas in conjunction with his long-time friend and business partner Prof Karol Sikora, who is Director of Medical Oncology at the Bahamas Cancer Centre;.^[28][26] in addition to their mutual cancer business interests in the British Isles.

Other activities

^[29][30]

Porter was once president of the American Brachytherapy Society,^[31] the American College of Oncology Administrators, the American Cancer Society (Great Lakes); and the American College of Radiation Oncology. He has also served as Chairman of the Board of Chancellors of the American College of Radiation Oncology and on the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Cancer Institute (USA).

Between 2006 and 2008, Porter served on the Governing Council of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), which oversees government funding for health-related research in Canada. Related to Porter in the Canadian Institutes of Health Research were Michael M. Fortier, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health.^[32]

In 2008, Porter became a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada while Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed him to Canada’s Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC).^[4][30]

In 2011, Arthur Porter obtained a St Kitts and Nevis diplomatic passport delivered by the prime minister Denzil Douglas. Arthur Porter was in charge of developing cancer treatment facilities on the island.^{[33][34][35][36]}

Criminal charges and arrest

On 27 February 2013,^[2] an arrest warrant was issued in relation to the McGill University Health Centre scandal.^[37][38]

Porter and his wife Pamela Mattock Porter were detained by Interpol agents in Panama on May 27, 2013, after an investigation by the Sûreté du Québec, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol). He faces charges in Canada of fraud, conspiracy to commit government fraud, abuse of trust, secret commissions and laundering the proceeds of a crime. Porter's wife is facing charges of laundering the proceeds of a crime and for conspiracy.^[39][40]

The fraud against the Québec government is related to his alleged role in the handling of a $1.3-billion Montreal hospital construction and maintenance contract.^[41]

The contract was awarded to SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., the engineering giant deeply involved in the Québec corruption scandal.^[42]

At the time of the alleged fraud, from 2008 to 2011, Dr. Porter director general of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) in Montreal, Québec, being in charge of one of Canada’s largest health-care providers. He was appointed to the position in 2004.^[43] He was also a member of Air Canada’s board of directors.^[42]

Porter and Mattock opposed extradition from Panama to Canada.^[40][44] Porter is claiming diplomatic immunity on the basis that he was travelling via Panama on a diplomatic mission to Antigua and Barbuda, on behalf of the government of Sierra Leone, according to his lawyer Ricardo Bilonick Paredes (formerly known as Ricardo Bilonick).^[44] However, the Sierra Leone government says he is a goodwill ambassador and thus has no diplomatic immunity.^[45]

In August 2013, Mattock was extradited to Canada. She posted a $250,000 bail in Montreal. Under her bail conditions, she was restricted from leaving Quebec and having any contact with her husband.

Mattock turned herself back into police in September 2014 on charges of using the proceeds of crime to achieve her $250,000 bail. She decided not to re-post bail in the hopes of receiving a quicker trial date. On December 18, 2014, Mattock pleaded guilty to two counts of money laundering, and received a 33 month sentence, less time served. As a result of this plea she will not have to serve time in a federal penitentiary, and will likely be released in 2015.^[46]

On January 17, 2015 it was announced that Canada and Panama had come to an agreement on Arthur Porter's extradition; however no date was set and Porter can still challenge the extradition.^[47]

Writings and film

Porter has written a memoir about his rise and fall, entitled The Man Behind the Bow Tie: Arthur Porter on Business, Politics and Intrigue. It is being published by Figure 1 Publishing and distributed by Raincoast Books.

The memoir, which was released on September 12, 2014, is written with biographer T.R Todd.

On July 8, Quill & Quire announced that the Porter's memoir has been optioned for film and television by a Montreal-based production company.

References

External links

• Arthur Porter on LinkedIn