SASKATOON – Hugo Gallegos, a former senior accountant for the Whitecap Dakota First Nation, appeared in Saskatoon provincial court on Thursday, accused of stealing over a million dollars from his former employer.
Gallegos, 40, voluntarily returned to Canada earlier in the week after leaving the country.
He was put in handcuffs while in the court room, something his lawyer, Morris Bodnar, wasn’t happy about.
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“He comes all the way from El Salvador, on his own, voluntarily, he didn’t have to come back,” said Bodnar.
“We agree on his release conditions, and the staff cuff him? It’s unbelievable.”
Gallegos left for vacation in late July, and hasn’t been back since. He was wanted on a Canada wide warrant for allegedly taking money from the First Nation.
“He’s going to deal with the matter and get it over with, that’s why he came back,” said Bodnar.
“We didn’t expect this at all, I didn’t expect it at all, this is a major step, I say, forward,” said Whitecap Dakota First Nation Chief Darcy Bear.
Gallegos has been charged with theft over $5,000, but Bear said the fraud could amount to more than $2.5 million.
“For this to happen to us, it was shock, disbelief, for all of us…and we thought we had all the checks and balances in place with our finance policies, and unfortunately the polices weren’t being followed,” said Bear.
Gallegos surrendered both of his passports, and will be back in court on Nov. 26.
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