Politics

Crown hopes to overturn bail for alleged RCMP spy

Federal Crown prosecutors are hoping to reverse the decision to release on bail a senior RCMP official accused of breaching Canada's secrets law.

While out on bail, Cameron Ortis is forbidden from using any device that connects to the internet

Cameron Ortis, a senior intelligence official at the RCMP, is seen leaving the courthouse in Ottawa Oct. 22, 2019. Ortis is accused of violating the Security of Information Act.
Cameron Ortis, a senior intelligence official at the RCMP, walks with his lawyer Ian Carter, obscured at left, after leaving the courthouse in Ottawa after being granted bail, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. Ortis faces charges of violating the Security of Information Act and breach of trust for allegedly disclosing secrets to an unknown recipient. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

Federal Crown prosecutors are hoping to reverse the decision to release on bail a senior RCMP official accused of breaching Canada's secrets law.

As first reported by the Ottawa Citizen, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada says it's seeking a review of the Oct. 22 decision to release Cameron Ortis, 47, to his parents' care in Abbotsford, B.C. pending a trial date.

Nathalie Houle, a spokesperson for the PPSC, said a decision from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on the application for bail review will be delivered Friday.

The Crown's reasons for seeking a bail review are covered by a publication ban.

Under the terms of bail set last month, Ortis is forbidden from using any device that connects to the internet and must report to an RCMP detachment every week.

Ortis, the head of the RCMP's national intelligence co-ordination centre, was charged under the Security of Information Act with preparing to share sensitive information with a foreign entity or terrorist organization.

He's also charged with sharing operational information back in 2015.