Canadian Naval Officer Who Leaked Information to Russia Faces Life in Prison

On Friday, the sentencing hearing of former Canadian naval officer Sub-Lieutenant Jeffrey Paul Delisle is scheduled to end. The man, who admitted to selling secrets to Russia, could spend the rest of his life in prison.

According to CBC Canada, Delisle is the first individual to be convicted under the country’s Security of Information Act.

The man’s lawyers argue that the damage he caused is only theoretical harm because the scale of what he leaked is unknown.

On the other hand, Michelle Tessier, director general of internal security at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and a witness for the prosecution, told the court that they were still assessing the damage caused by Delisle.

However, she revealed that the CSIS documents that the former officer attempted to sell when he was arrested contained information that could help Russia identify CSIS sources. In the Security Intelligence Service’s opinion, this could potentially lead to loss of life.

Back in October 2012, Delisle admitted selling secret information to Russia for a total amount of $71,817 (53,000 EUR). Authorities began suspecting him after he returned to Canada from Brazil with an impressive amount of money in cash and prepaid debit cards.

Shortly after his arrest, the man told police that he decided to “go rogue” after he learned that his wife was cheating on him. He said he thought about committing suicide, but he couldn’t do it so he committed “professional suicide.”

For the breach of trust charge, Delisle could be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison, but the charges under the Security of Information Act carry a life sentence.