AHS ordered to turn over procurement records, health executive confirms
Alberta Health Services has received a production order amid an RCMP investigation of contracting practices at AHS, according to a senior vice-president of AHS. Production orders are issued to compel p. . .
Alberta Health Services has received a production order amid an RCMP investigation of contracting practices at AHS, according to a senior vice-president of AHS. Production orders are issued to compel people and organizations to turn over relevant documents or records. On June 10, Dr. Mircea Fagarasanu, a senior vice-president with AHS, was participating in questioning on an affidavit he filed on behalf of AHS in a civil case tied to AHS procurement practices. As part of that questioning, Fagarasanu was asked whether he was aware if his organization had received a production order through the RCMP or legal counsel tied to records involving procurement or chartered surgical facility contracts. "Yes, I'm aware," he replied. A transcript of Fagarasanu's questioning was filed with the court on June 15. The Globe and Mail first reported Fagarasanu's comments. RCMP have been investigating a complaint of contracting practices at AHS since February 2025. Earlier this year, RCMP executed "multiple search warrants" related to that investigation. The RCMP investigation was one of several that followed allegations levied by former AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos, including one thegovernment commissionedby a retired Manitoba judge, and a yet-to-be-releasedauditor-general's report. Mentzelopoulos's 2025 lawsuit alleged she was fired after she launched an investigation into various contracts and AHS procurement processes. AHS has said it terminated Mentzelopoulos because she wasn't fulfilling her duties. None of the allegations have been tested in court. (Lisa Johnson/The Canadian Press)Fagarasanu was being questioned by Sharon Roberts, a lawyer for Mentzelopoulos. Roberts is new to the dispute, having been brought on by Mentzelopoulos on April 11 as part of a separate legal battle tied to what documents can be used as part of the wrongful dismissal trial. While Fagarasanu said the production order was issued to AHS, he said he was not involved in complying with it on behalf of AHS. He said he didn't know when the order was provided. As part of the questioning, Roberts asked Fagarasanu, a senior-vice president of corporate and clinical support services with AHS, about specific information referenced in his affidavit, which focused on the alleged privileged records. "In your affidavit you say that you reviewed all of the records in the plaintiff's affidavit of records. Did I get that right?" Roberts said. "Did you review the records?""It was based on legal counsel's review," Fagarasanu replied. "You did not, in fact, review any of those records?" Roberts asked. "I based my signing the affidavit based on the — I relied on the legal counsel assessment," Fagarasanu said. "I understand," Roberts said. When asked directly whether he had reviewed the records in the plaintiff's affidavit of records, Fagarasanu said he hadn't. When asked to comment on Fagarasanu's answers, Heather Jenkins, a spokesperson for Alberta Justice, referred a request for comment to Munaf Mohamed, a lawyer retained by the government. "As this matter is before the courts, the government has no comment at this time," Mohamed said in an email to CBC News. A spokesperson for AHS said the health authority was unable to comment while the matter was before the courts. A spokesperson for Alberta RCMP did not respond directly to a request for comment on Fagarasanu's comments that AHS had received a production order. "The RCMP can confirm that we have an ongoing investigation relating to the complaint we received in February 2025 associated to Alberta Health Services," spokesperson Christina Zoernig wrote in an email. "To protect the integrity of the investigation, we have no further comment at this time. "Privileged records disputeThere have been months of back-and-forth between lawyers for AHS and Mentzelopoulos over which records are privileged and which are not, and what should be allowed to be used in the wrongful dismissal trial. AHS has said Mentzelopoulos sent nine emails from her AHS account to her personal email account the day before her firing "containing privileged and confidential and business records obtained in the course of her employment. "Mentzelopoulos's lawyers have argued in legal filings it was necessary to do so, citing her concerns that the government would pressure the AHS board to terminate her in an effort to shut down investigations into chartered surgical facilities. Court of King's Bench Justice Michael Lemahas saidthat the dispute over the privileged records must be resolved before the wrongful dismissal trial can be argued. July 28 has been set as a date to hear arguments regarding the documents.