Former U of Manitoba law dean arrested in Europe, will be extradited to Canada: police

Former U of Manitoba law dean arrested in Europe, will be extradited to Canada: police

Jonathan Black-Branch facing Canada-wide arrest warrant for fraud

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 the arrest and said the extradition is underway.

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.

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Former U of Manitoba law dean disbarred in U.K., still under Canada-wide arrest warrant

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.

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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.

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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.