Former Law Dean's Multimillion-Dollar Swiss Debt Exposed Ahead of Extradition

Jonathan Black-Branch, a former law dean at the University of Manitoba, accumulated over $5.67 million in debt in Switzerland before his recent arrest in France. Public records indicate that he owes this amount to Swiss banks, municipal taxes, mortgage payments, and an art gallery.

The debts, totaling 3.29 million Swiss francs ($5.62 million), are detailed in the Swiss government's official Gazette. Some of these public debt records suggest Black-Branch owed $71,700 to a Zurich-based art gallery and over $30,000 in state and municipal taxes to the canton of Thurgau.

The majority of the Swiss debt is tied up in real estate agreements, including mortgage payments owed to Thurgauer Kantonalbank. One entry from March 3, 2026, describes Black-Branch as 'currently of unknown whereabouts.'

Black-Branch was disbarred by the Law Society of Manitoba in 2024 after being found guilty of misappropriating over $600,000 from the University of Manitoba and an endowment fund. He was also arrested in France recently and faces extradition.