By Canadian Press

Former RCMP official’s rationale for disclosing secrets can’t be believed: Crown

Nov 17, 2023 | 12:16 PM

OTTAWA — A Crown prosecutor says a former RCMP official’s excuse for leaking secret information is flawed and should not be believed.

In closing arguments today, federal lawyer Judy Kliewer told a jury in Ontario Superior Court that Cameron Jay Ortis was not acting for the benefit of the RCMP when he disclosed classified information to investigative targets.

Ortis, 51, has testified that he offered secret material to individuals of interest in a bid to get them to use an online encryption service set up by an allied intelligence agency to spy on adversaries.

He has pleaded not guilty to violating the Security of Information Act by revealing secrets to three individuals in 2015 and trying to do so in a fourth instance, as well as breach of trust and a computer-related offence. 

The Crown argues Ortis lacked authority to disclose classified material and that he was not doing so as part of some sort of undercover operation.

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Kliewer said today the jury should be satisfied that Ortis communicated special operational information to targets without authority to do so.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17, 2023.

The Canadian Press