RCMP officers conduct a search warrant at Jaberson & Associates on March 19, in Edmonton.Amanda Erickson/The Globe and Mail
A board member for Invest Alberta Corp. has taken a leave from his duties just days after RCMP searched his accounting firm as part of a criminal investigation into allegations of procurement irregularities in the province’s health care system.
Premier Danielle Smith’s government appointed the man, Sam Jaber, to Invest Alberta’s board in late 2023. Police last week searched Jaberson & Associates, one of his accounting and tax preparation firms in Edmonton. On Tuesday, his biography on Invest Alberta’s website had a note at the top:
“Sam Jaber has informed the Board that he is voluntarily taking a temporary leave of absence from his duties as a member of the Invest Alberta Board until such time he is able to dedicate his time and energy more fully to the goals of the organization,” the note states. “The Board Chair has accepted this request.”
Alberta’s procurement controversy became public last February, when The Globe first reported allegations of inflated contracts for private companies and political interference at the provincial health agency. The Mounties confirmed in March, 2025, that they were conducting an investigation into alleged procurement irregularities at Alberta Health Services and several deals signed by the agency.
MHCare Medical Corp. is among the companies under scrutiny. In late 2022, it was awarded a $70-million contract to import children’s medication from Turkey. Alberta Health Services paid the Edmonton business nearly the full amount, although only a third of the medication arrived in the province.
Accounting firm owned by Smith government appointee searched by RCMP
Mr. Jaber is listed as MHCare’s chief financial officer in a 2022 organizational chart obtained by The Globe and Mail. Corporate records show two of his accounting businesses have acted as registering agents for several business ventures tied to MHCare’s owner, Sam Mraiche.
Matthew Nathanson, Mr. Jaber’s lawyer, in a statement Tuesday said his client has done nothing wrong.
“We are confident that a fair and balanced investigation will reach this conclusion,” the lawyer said in an e-mail. “In the meantime, my client has taken a voluntary leave of absence from his duties at Invest Alberta to avoid any distraction from the important work that organization is doing.”
Mr. Mraiche and MHCare deny any wrongdoing.
Invest Alberta is designed to attract investment to the province through personal connections and networks. It also provides information, such as labour market data and details about Alberta’s tax system, to prospective international businesses.
Sam Blackett, the Premier’s spokesman, did not address questions about Mr. Jaber’s status at Invest Alberta, including whether the government asked him to resign or take a leave.
“As this is an active RCMP investigation it would be entirely inappropriate for the Government to comment at this time on any of the individuals involved,” Mr. Blackett said in an e-mail.
Police search offices of Sam Mraiche-owned firm as part of Alberta procurement probe
Naheed Nenshi, the Leader of the New Democratic Party, on Tuesday in the legislature asked why Mr. Jaber’s leave was voluntary rather than mandated by the government.
Joseph Schow, the Government House Leader, responded by confirming Mr. Jaber “stepped down,” and then touted Invest Alberta’s “incredible work” attracting businesses to the province.
Invest Alberta declined to comment beyond the statement online.
“During this period, the remaining Board members will continue their important work to attract investment and support the growth and diversification of Alberta’s economy,” the statement on Invest Alberta’s website says.
The Globe on March 19 first reported RCMP had searched Mr. Jaber’s business, a day after first reporting that the Mounties had searched MHCare’s headquarters. The RCMP last week confirmed they had executed multiple search warrants related to their investigation into procurement irregularities.
The RCMP also attended Jitendra Prasad’s residence last week. Mr. Prasad previously served as a senior procurement official at Alberta Health Services, had been seconded to the government, and has ties to Mr. Mraiche.
In 2023, government staff discussed Mr. Jaber’s potential appointment to Invest Alberta’s board in a series of e-mails. One official, in a message on Oct. 26, 2023, wrote that the Premier’s Office “has indicated this is a priority for immediate action,” according to records obtained by The Globe through an access to information request.
The Premier signed an order-in-council appointing Mr. Jaber to the board four weeks later. His term expires next January.
The Globe, in the summer of 2024, reported Mr. Jaber and Jaberson & Associates gave Ms. Smith’s office tickets to an NHL playoff game in Vancouver that spring. Ms. Smith later confirmed the box suite tickets came from Mr. Jaber, but her office initially would only say they came from a “private citizen.”
Ms. Smith attended the game, between the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks, with two senior members of her staff. That evening, The Canadian Press photographed Ms. Smith and one of those staff members in the box suite, along with Mr. Mraiche.