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Former Sask. First Nation accountant gets bail

Oct 31, 2013 | 12:24 PM

A man accused of stealing millions from the Whitecap Dakota First Nation has been granted bail.

Hugo Gallegos was granted bail in a Saskatoon courtroom Thursday morning on the condition he surrender his passports, have his fingerprints taken and register his address with police.

The search for Gallegos began back in September after the former accountant left town without saying where he was going. At around the same time, it was noticed roughly $2.5 million had gone missing.

A Canada-wide warrant had been issued for Gallegos' arrest, but there were concerns he had actually left the country.

Whitecap Dakota First Nation Chief Darcy Bear said he is pleased to hear Gallegos is on his way back to Saskatoon voluntarily.

“The extradition process is a long and lengthy one, from what we've been told. It has to be approved by the provincial government before it even goes to the federal government. That step hasn't even happened yet. So we knew we were in for a long journey, in regards to the extradition order, so this is certainly welcoming news,” Bear said.

Gallegos faces one count of theft over $5,000.

-with files from News Talk Radio's Bryn Levy

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