Hants County man charged with defrauding district health authorities

By Tina Comeau

Transcontinental Media

NovaNewsNow.com

A Hants County man has been charged with defrauding district health authorities in western Nova Scotia of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Police in Kentville allege a 42-year-old male who was an employee at the Annapolis Valley district health authority, defrauded the South West Health, Annapolis and South Shore district health authorities of nearly $400,000 over a three-year period.

In a recent media release, the three district health authorities said they had recently detected a significant accounting irregularity within their shared financial services impacting all three health districts. The matter was reported to the Kentville police department for investigation.

The three health authorities also jointly conducted their own forensic audit. As a result of their internal investigation an employee based at Annapolis Valley Health had been dismissed for cause.

On Wednesday, Nov. 25, police charged the man with three counts of fraud over $5,000. On the same day members of the Kentville Police Service, with assistance from the provincial Proceeds of Crime Unit, executed a search warrant at a residence on Belmont Road, Hants County. The suspect is to appear in court on Dec. 14 for plea.

The three health authorities have been cooperating fully with the police investigation.