Dr. George Korol's booking mug shot from California in 1996. (Orange County district attorney's office)

A doctor who owns a Winnipeg medical clinic that closed on Tuesday has a criminal past in the United States and also served time in a Manitoba jail earlier this year for assault, CBC News has learned.

Dr. George Korol, who operated the Westbrook Medical Clinic at 1800 Logan Ave., worked in Orange County, Calif., during the mid-1990s.

The Medical Board of California revoked his privileges after he was sentenced to prison in 1996. Korol had been charged in 1995 in a number of felonies, including attempted murder, threats and arson.

Documents from Orange County Superior Court show Korol, 56, was acquitted in a jury trial of attempted murder but convicted and sentenced in 1996 on two counts of arson, one count of making criminal threats and one count of possessing a flammable material.

This sign was posted on the door of the Westbrook Medical Clinic this week. (CBC)

He was sentenced to two years in jail for the threats and five years for the arson and flammable material possession. The sentences were ordered to be served concurrently and reduced by a credit of 23 months.

He was also fined $1,850 and ordered to pay another $150 restitution to the victim, who is not named in the court documents.

No further details were provided in the case summary from the court.

Moved to Winnipeg after jail term

After serving his jail time, Korol was deported back to Winnipeg, where he graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1978 before heading to California.

On Feb. 2, 2009, Manitoba's College of Physicians and Surgeons handed Korol an interim suspension from practising medicine, but the college hasn't provided a reason to the public.

Dr. George Korol, who owns the Westbrook Medical Clinic, was convicted in the U.S. of arson and had his license suspended once before in Manitoba. (CBC)

Registrar Dr. Bill Pope told CBC News the college can only tell the public about disciplinary action taken against a doctor, such as a formal censure or public inquiry.

The interim suspension against Korol is not considered disciplinary action at this point, just a temporary measure pending completion of a full investigation, Pope said.

"An interim suspension occurs because there is a real concern, but it's possible the interim suspension may be taken away and the doctor allowed to continue to practise because whatever issues there were have been satisfied," he said.

"Once there is final disciplinary action — if there is final disciplinary action — that is published immediately on the [college] website and it also goes on the doctor's record for life. In those cases, the details, the specifics of the situation, are in fact published."

'An interim suspension occurs because there is a real concern, but it's possible the interim suspension may be taken away and the doctor allowed to continue to practise.'—Dr. Bill Pope, Manitoba College of Physicians and Surgeons

A sign posted Monday on the door of the Westbrook Medical Clinic announced the closing, effective Dec. 1.

Interim suspensions are handed down after the head of an investigative committee rules there's a "question of serious risk to the public," according to the college's website.

Health Minister Theresa Oswald said what constitutes disciplinary action could be open to interpretation.

"I think anybody would consider it disciplinary action insofar as the doctor is no longer able to practise and therefore no longer able to bill," she said, adding that her department is working with the college to make more information available to the public on a physician's profile.

Although Korol was suspended, three other doctors employed there kept the clinic open. They are now looking for new jobs and hundreds of patients have been left in the lurch.

Korol issued a written statement this week saying that financial reasons are behind the clinic's closure.

The college knew about Korol's convictions in California because background checks are done on everyone who applies for a medical licence in Manitoba, Pope said. But a criminal conviction is not always a reason to deny a licence to practise medicine, he added.

Jailed in Manitoba

The issue of patient safety would have been strongly considered in any decision to allow Korol to practise, Pope said.

"The issue is, if something is raised by a criminal conviction, is there some aspect of that conviction that says that this individual may be a risk to the public?" Pope said, adding Korol's past did not suggest he would be a public risk.

'Society has said that once someone has done whatever they've done and served their penalty, rehabilitation is what society wants to happen.' —Dr. Bill Pope

The principle of rehabilitation must also guide some of the college's decision in granting a licence, he added.

"Society has said that once someone has done whatever they've done and served their penalty, rehabilitation is what society wants to happen. And that's certainly what we hope happens with physicians as well."

Pope also revealed that Korol had been suspended once before in Manitoba. An interim suspension was placed on the doctor in August 2005 and lifted in October of that year.

Pope wouldn't say why Korol was suspended at that time.

However, CBC News has learned Korol was also sent to jail in June 2009 in Manitoba.

According to court documents, he was convicted of two counts of assault, one count of possessing a weapon contrary to a court order, as well as two breaches of a court order.

He served just over four months in custody and is presently on supervised probation for the next three years.

That information does not appear on the college's doctor profile of Korol. Under criminal convictions, the profile simply says "none reported."

Pope was unavailable to comment on that. The information was uncovered by CBC News after the initial interview with Pope.