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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Russians paid $3K a month to spy

Canadian pleads guilty to espionage

By: Alison Auld

Posted: 10/11/2012 3:18 AM | Comments: 0

Andrew Vaughan / The Canadian Press Jeffrey Delisle leaves court Wednesday. (CP)

HALIFAX -- A Canadian naval officer pleaded guilty to espionage Wednesday, five years after a Crown lawyer said he walked into the Russian Embassy, offered military secrets for money and began a relationship that resulted in the sharing of a "vast amount" of sensitive information.

Sub-Lt. Jeffrey Paul Delisle, 41, showed no emotion as he clasped his hands together, to acknowledge he understood the consequences of his pleas to the unprecedented charges.

His sentencing was set for Jan. 10.

Federal Crown attorney Lyne Decarie outlined the case against Delisle during a bail hearing on March 28, saying he voluntarily approached the Russians in 2007. There was a publication ban on evidence presented at the proceedings in the spring, but the guilty plea means there will not be a jury trial.

At the hearing, Decarie said that "following some personal problems, Delisle walked into the Russian Embassy in Ottawa and offered his services."

Decarie read in court portions of a statement she said Delisle gave to police after he was arrested Jan. 13: "I showed them my ID card and they asked me a bunch of questions, took my name and off I go."

Delisle worked at the military's intelligence centre on the East Coast.

Decarie said Delisle would have access to secure and unsecured systems that contained information about Canada and its allies. Most of what he shared related to the military, Decarie alleged, but included material about organized crime, political players and the chief of defence phone and contact list.

Delisle had access to systems with information shared by Canada, the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. In assessments read in court, officials in the Canadian intelligence community said the breaches from 2007 to 2012 could unmask intelligence sources and place a chill on the sharing of vital security information.

"Delisle's unauthorized disclosure to the Russians since 2007 has caused severe and irreparable damage to Canadian interests."

Decarie said Delisle was asked to search for Russian references on his work computer, transfer it to a USB key and take it to his home. He gave it to the Russians by pasting it into an email program that he shared with his foreign handler, she said.

Decarie said Delisle got $5,000 for the first couple of transfers after July 2007 and then $3,000 every month.

Critics called on the government to explain how Delisle maintained a top-secret security clearance. Wesley Wark, an intelligence expert, called on the government to specify when his last security check was done and whether he was subjected to a lie-detector test.

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 11, 2012 A7

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