A member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has been arrested and charged with obtaining police records and passing messages to the Rwandan government.
The federal police force said on Tuesday its Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (Inset) arrested Constable Eli Ndatuje, who is based in Alberta.
Ndatuje was charged with breach of trust, unauthorized use of a computer and breach of trust over protected information, allegedly breaching the country’s Information Security Act.
He is due to appear in Calgary court on March 11. He was released but ordered to surrender his passport, stay in the province and be fingerprinted.
According to court documents, Ndatuje is accused of “transmitting protected information from the Canadian Police Information Center (CPIC) system to a foreign entity, namely the Republic of Rwanda.”
Ndatuje was born in Uganda but is of Rwandan descent. He immigrated to Canada when he was 14 years old.
The RCMP said after learning of the alleged security breach, it took steps to monitor and prevent further unauthorized disclosure of information.
“The RCMP is committed to countering foreign interference at all levels and proactively utilizes all tools at its disposal,” the RCMP said in a news release. “Foreign interference comes in many forms and all organizations must be aware of it. Potential harm at every level is critical.”
Ndatuye is the third RCMP member recently charged under the Information Security Act. Last week, Canada’s former top police intelligence officer Cameron Ortis was sentenced to 14 years in prison for leaking secret information.
This summer, police also filed two charges under the Information Security Act against retired RCMP employee William Majcher, accusing him of “using his knowledge and extensive network of contacts in Canada to obtain intelligence or services for the benefit of the People’s Republic of China.” . He has been released on bail and has not formally entered a plea.
Canada is assessing the scope and influence of foreign countries in its government agencies. Over the past year, leaked intelligence reports have revealed that China attempted to “meddle” in Canada’s elections.
In September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were “credible allegations” linking India to the assassination of a Canadian political activist.
An independent commission is investigating allegations of foreign interference in Canadian affairs.
