A 50-year-old woman who allegedly defrauded Dalhousie University out of thousands of dollars while working as a medical school administrator will appear in a Toronto court Thursday.Court records indicate Debbie Smajda is charged with fraud over $5,000 in connection with an alleged incident dating back to July 31, 2002. Dalhousie spokeswoman Marla Cranston says the allegations came to light last fall as a result of the university’s regular audits.

Dalhousie’s website says Smajda became an administrative assistant at the university’s medical school in late 2002. The website also says Smajda worked for the Ontario government before relocating to Halifax in 1997.