A national security investigation has led to an Alberta RCMP officer being charged with sharing “non-top secret RCMP records systems ” with a “foreign actor.”
“The RCMP is committed to combatting foreign actor interference at all levels and is actively leveraging all tools at its disposal,” said national police service in a press release Tuesday.
The Integrated National Security Investigation Team, a centrally controlled agency which investigates criminal and terrorist activities, arrested front-line RCMP officer Const. Eli Ndatuje on Tuesday.
Ndatuje has been charged with breach of trust, unauthorized use of a computer and breach of trust with respect to safeguarded information.
“Foreign interference takes on many forms and it is critical that all organizations are aware of the potential harm at any levels,” read the release.
News of the breach has prompted RCMP to implement “measures to monitor, mitigate and manage any further unauthorized disclosures of information.”
His first scheduled court appearance will be on March 11 in Calgary Provincial Court.
RCMP would not comment further on the case as it is ongoing and now before the court.
According to court records however, Ndatjue is accused of sending “safeguarded information on the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) system to a foreign entity, to wit the Republic of Rwanda.”
The alleged offences were committed in Red Deer, Alberta on April 23, 2022.
Njadtue was released with a number of conditions, including that he report for fingerprinting, surrender his passport, and remain in Alberta.
News of Ndatjue’s arrest comes a week after Cameron Ortis, a former RCMP intelligence official was sentenced to 14 years in jail by an Ontario court.
Ortis was convicted of sharing secret information without permission and misusing his role of influence in breach of Canadian secrets laws.
Before his arrest in September 2019, Ortis was the Director General of the RCMP’s National Intelligence Coordination Centre.
“The RCMP takes threats to the security of Canadians very seriously and wants to reassure everyone that our primary focus is the safety and protection of the public at all times,” read the release. “The RCMP will pursue any form of interference, whether internal or external, and this is a good example of the efforts being made.”
