Former U of Manitoba law dean arrested in France, faces extradition to Canada: police
Jonathan Black-Branch, the disbarred former dean of the University of Manitoba's law school, has been arrested in Europe and is facing extradition back to Canada.
Jonathan Black-Branch facing Canada-wide arrest warrant for fraud
Darren Bernhardt · CBC News
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Jonathan Black-Branch, the disbarred former dean at the University of Manitoba's law school, has been arrested in Europe and is facing extradition back to Canada.
Winnipeg police spokesperson Const. Stephen Spencer confirmed Wednesday the arrest happened in France and the matter is currently before the French court system.
Police can't say more while the matter is before the courts, he said in an email, but "further information will be provided should the extradition application be successful" and Black-Branch is returned to Winnipeg.
He could not confirm when Black-Branch was arrested.
Black-Branch, who was hired as U of M's law dean in 2016, left his post suddenly in 2020 with no formal explanation given.
Around the same time, an internal investigation by the university, based on a whistleblower complaint, found a senior university employee misspent university funds.
In 2023, a months-long law hearing by the Law Society of Manitoba found Black-Branch had committed professional misconduct and misspent more than $600,000.
He spent U of M endowment funds on expensive meals at the members-only Manitoba Club, personal education at Ivy League schools, accommodation, travel and other expenses while he was dean of the U of M's law school, according to the society's decision.
The U of M then asked Winnipeg police to investigate for possible criminal charges.
The law society disbarred Black-Branch in 2024, removed his name from its rolls of barristers and solicitors, and fined him $36,000.
While overseas in August 2020, the University of Southampton, in the U.K., announced Black-Branch as the new head of its law school. Days later, the university changed course and announced it would no longer be hiring him.
Earlier this year, Black-Branch was disbarred for a second time.
The Bar Standards Board for England and Wales barred him from practising law, citing his actions in Manitoba as "blatant and sustained dishonesty," according to the disciplinary decision by the Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service.
The Canada-wide arrest warrant was issued for Black-Branch on March 30, 2026, on a charge of fraud over $5,000.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Darren Bernhardt has been with CBC Manitoba since 2009 and specializes in offbeat and local history stories. He is the author of two bestselling books: The Lesser Known: A History of Oddities from the Heart of the Continent, and Prairie Oddities: Punkinhead, Peculiar Gravity and More Lesser Known Histories.
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