A navy intelligence officer accused of spying stayed in the cells Tuesday morning, his appearance in a civilian court in Halifax put over until next week. Sub-Lieutenant Jeffrey Paul Delisle was to have a bail hearing but his lawyer asked that it be rescheduled. The suspect opted not to appear in court.
“He doesn't want to come up,” defence lawyer Cameron MacKeen told the judge, seeking a delay.
Mr. MacKeen suggested setting aside three-quarters of a day for the hearing, which could be an indication of the complexity of the case, and Madam Justice Barbara Beach of Nova Scotia Provincial Court agreed to reserve all of Wednesday, Jan. 25.
The 40-year-old naval officer, whose unit is a nerve centre for information that is collected and then shared among allies including the United States, has been charged with breach of trust and passing on restricted information.
He is accused of passing government secrets to foreign interests over the span of four and a half years – working with the Russian, according to CTV – a case that threatens this country’s reputation among its closest allies.
The charge is the first ever laid under Canada’s rarely used Security of Information Act, passed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The offence carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Sources say that SLT. Delisle, 40, joined the reserves in 1996 and the regular forces in 2001. He worked in Halifax until 2005 and then transferred to the Chief of Defence Intelligence group in Ottawa in 2006. He spent 2007 at the Strategic Joint Staff offices, also in Ottawa, and then 2008 at the Royal Military College in Kingston. He later moved to the Canadian Forces Joint Headquarters, also in Kingston, before returning to Halifax in 2010.
Last Friday afternoon his career exploded as investigators descended on the home in a Halifax suburb he shared with his partner and three children. Neighbours said that authorities arrived in unmarked cars and spent hours photographing and searching the house. They carried out boxes and bags.
On Tuesday, SLt. Delisle, who has been in custody since the weekend, was to appear in Halifax provincial court for a bail hearing. The proceeding attracted a horde of media but not the suspect .
Mr. MacKeen told reporters on the way out that he asked for the delay because he had received disclosure just that morning. He would not say how his client would plead nor the extent of the disclosure package.
“All I can say is, one thing that I’ll... it’s the only comment I’m going to say, is people have to realize there’s a presumption of innocence in this country and that’s something that we’ll be looking at going forward,” he said.
Peter Chisholm, chief federal prosecutor in the Atlantic office of the Public Prosecution Service, was even more tightlipped. He explained to reporters the matter had been put over and then walked silently through a flurry of questions. He declined to answer whether the alleged behaviour of SLT. Delisle was tantamount to treason and hesitated before offering even his name.
As recently as last week, RCMP allege, the sailor tried to leak confidential government information. In court documents, the force alleges that, between Jan. 10 and Jan. 13, SLt. Delisle attempted “to communicate with a foreign entity information that the Government of Canada is taking measures to safeguard.”
The RCMP further allege that the alleged espionage took place over a 4½-year period, beginning on July 6, 2007 and including locations “at or near” Ottawa, Kingston, Halifax, Bedford “and elsewhere.”
The RCMP said the alleged offences have not placed Canada in danger.
...
