Pamela Porter, convicted in MUHC scandal, released from jail
Porter tells parole board she feels "betrayed" by her husband, former MUHC CEO Arthur Porter
Pamela Porter, the wife of former Mcgill University Health Centre CEO Arthur Porter, was released from jail last week and is now living in a halfway house.
She pleaded guilty to charges of money-laundering in December
Documents from Quebec's Parole Board show that Porter will undergo psychological treatment and do volunteer work as part of the conditions of her release.
Porter told the board at a hearing last week that she had "blind faith" in her husband when it came to managing the family's finances, and that she now feels betrayed by him.
Arthur Porter has been detained since May 2013 in a Panamanian prison as he fights extradition to Canada. He's facing fraud charges related to the $1.3-billion MUHC superhospital project.
Pamela Porter has admitted that she used nearly $10 million that were obtained fraudulently to purchase properties, and that she even used part of that money to pay $250,000 bail when she was first arrested.
The allegations against Arthur Porter have yet to be tested in court.
Shame and guilt
Pamela Porter told the parole board that she has accepted responsibility for what she did and that she now feels shame and guilt for her lack of judgement.
She said she had learned during her 10 months in detention not to judge others, to take care of herself, and to rediscover her independence.
The board found that Porter had been a model prisoner, working in the kitchen and trying to learn French. It concluded that Porter was a low risk to reoffend, and an ideal candidate for gradual reintegration into society.
She told the board that she would like to finish her sentence and her community service in Canada, and then return to live and perhaps find work in the United States.