Canadian naval officer arrested for giving Russia secrets
February 12, 2013
A Canadian naval officer was sentenced to 20 years in jail after he was found guilty of handing national secrets over to the Russia government, which damaged Canada's relations with the United States and other important allies, according to Reuters.
Sub-Lieutenant Jeffrey Delisle tracked vessels that were coming in and out of Canada at a security unit. He was found guilty of breach of trust and handing information to a foreign entity that could harm national interests, and he was fined $111,817. This money was the same amount the 41-tear-old received for being a spy for more than four years, the media outlet reports.
Last week, Canadian officials received a threat from their allies - United States, Britain, New Zealand and Australia - that they were going to hold intelligence information until they got their security procedures under control. As a result of Delisle's behavior, they are becoming much more strict and increasing their security overall, the media outlet reports.Â
Delisle walked into the Russian embassy in Ottawa and offered to hand over Canadian secrets in 2007. He was apparently was upset that his marriage was falling a part. Canada officials first started to become aware of Delisle after he came back from a trip to Brazil in 2011, carrying thousands of dollars in cash and a few pre-paid credit cards. When they discovered he met a Russian handler, their investigation began, leading to Delisle's arrest in January 2012.Â
The prosecution was adamant about Delisle receiving a 20-year term for his crimes, but the defense tried to push for 10, but they did not win in the end.Â
"[Delisle] is a little bit shocked. It's a significant sentence that he received and one that quite frankly I don't think he was really expecting," defense lawyer Mike Taylor told the news source.
According to The Toronto Star, officials are still unsure exactly what Delisle passed on to the Russians, but they are making an effort now to hopefully prevent it from happening ever again.
"Our procedures have been tightened. I think they're better. Can I guarantee that it will never happen? I surely wish I could, senator, but I can't," Richard Fadden, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, told the Senate committee on national defense and security this past Monday.
Those who want to talk about the recent sentence can make calls to Canada using international calling cards.