French court approves extradition of former University of Manitoba law dean

VERSAILLES · A French court has ruled to extradite Jonathan Black-Branch, the former dean of the University of Manitoba's law school, to Canada to face fraud charges. The Versailles Court of Appeal's Indictment Division granted Canada's extradition request on Friday. Black-Branch, 64, is accused of misusing more than $600,000 from the university for personal bills, expensive meals and his own education at Ivy League schools. No date has been set for his transfer back to Canada.

Black-Branch was arrested in April in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a suburb west of Paris, under an international arrest warrant issued by Canada for fraud over $5,000. He appeared in the Versailles court three weeks ago to argue against his extradition, with the court reserving its decision until Nov. 6. The extradition request from Canada was issued in May.

The allegations stem from an internal investigation by the University of Manitoba into financial mismanagement during Black-Branch's tenure. The university says he misused funds for personal expenses, including pricey meals at a members-only club. Black-Branch was hired as law dean in 2016 but left the post abruptly in 2020 and moved to Europe as the investigation unfolded. Following the investigation, the Law Society of Manitoba found Black-Branch had committed professional misconduct and disbarred him in 2024, fining him $36,000. The university then asked Winnipeg police to investigate criminal charges, but his whereabouts were unknown at the time. The university also sued Black-Branch for breaching his employment agreement.

In May 2025, the Manitoba Court of King's Bench ordered Black-Branch in a default judgment to pay the university nearly $680,000 plus more than $3,000 in costs and three per cent annual interest. The university has said it is pursuing all available collection options to recoup the money. The Bar Standards Board for England and Wales has since also barred him from practising law there, citing his actions in Manitoba as "blatant and sustained dishonesty." After leaving the University of Manitoba, Black-Branch was briefly announced as the new head of the law school at the University of Southampton in the U.K. in 2020, but the university reversed its decision days later. He later worked as a lecturer at Germany's for-profit IU International University of Applied Sciences from late 2021 until mid-2025, according to a school spokesperson. Court documents from the university's lawsuit said he was believed to be living in Switzerland. Documents also show he racked up about $5.6 million in debt in Switzerland, most of it tied to real estate. Black-Branch, who is originally from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, sought to be naturalized as a Swiss citizen in late 2023, though it was unclear if he completed that process.

With files from The Canadian Press, CBC News and Global News