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The former head of the IWK children’s hospital has been released from jail while she appeals her fraud conviction.
Tracy Kitch appeared before a justice of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal on Monday morning to secure her release. She spent the weekend in jail after being sentenced last week to nine months for stealing more than $30,000 from the Halifax hospital by using her corporate credit card to pay for personal expenses.
Kitch continues to maintain her innocence. In her appeal documents, she argues trial Judge Ronda van der Hoek erred in law “by concluding that no person employed at a public institution is permitted to use public funds for personal use with no exceptions.”
Her appeal also claims the judge misinterpreted some evidence and failed to consider other evidence.
The appeal will be heard on Sept. 14.
Kitch is free on conditions in the meantime. She must live with her husband in their Toronto apartment, surrender her passport and not leave the country. Her husband has pledged $20,000 to ensure she abides by those conditions.
Kitch’s conviction in September marked the second time she was convicted of defrauding the hospital where she served as CEO between 2014 and 2017.
In March 2023, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal quashed the initial conviction, having decided the first trial judge failed to adequately explain his reasons for convicting Kitch.
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