OTTAWA—Vice-Admiral Mark Norman, the former vice chief of defence staff, has been charged with breach of trust for allegedly spilling cabinet secrets related to a navy supply ship contract.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced Friday that a criminal charge had been laid against Norman, 54, following a long probe that began in December, 2016.

“Norman is alleged to have illegally disclosed government information to unauthorized parties,” the police force said in a statement.

An information filed at the Ottawa courthouse alleges that the breach of trust occurred in connection with the duties of his office between Sept. 1, 2014 and May 12, 2016.

The charge relates to the alleged leak of the Liberal government’s intention to delay a contract to provide the Royal Canadian Navy with an interim supply ship. That delay became public, forcing the Liberal government to stick with the contract plan. But behind-the-scenes, there was anger and questions how cabinet discussions had leaked.

The Privy Council Office, the bureaucratic wing that supports the prime minister’s office, ran an initial investigation into the leak, producing a 210-page report in November 2016. The following month, the RCMP’s sensitive and international investigations section — which handles sensitive cases that pose “significant” threats to Canada's government institutions and public officials — began a probe.

Norman was abruptly relieved of duty as second-in-command of Canada’s military in January 2017 by Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of defence staff, who offered little explanation at the time.

Norman’s lawyer, Marie Henein — who in the past has declared he is innocent — said Friday the charge marked a “very sad day for an extraordinary Canadian.”

She said that Norman, who rose through the ranks to the number two post in the Canadian Armed Forces, devoted his career to “serving Canada and our military.

“Not once has he ever been swayed by political or personal considerations. . . . He remains unwavering in his commitment confident in the knowledge that he has always acted in the best interests of this country,” Henein said.

She said that Norman should be celebrated rather than prosecuted and said public resources “should be put to better use.

“His faith in this country remains unshaken. So too is his faith in the legal system. . . . We will respond to this allegation in a courtroom where evidence, objectivity and fairness matter and where politics have absolutely no place,” she said.

Court documents released last year revealed that investigators suspected Norman of leaking cabinet confidences to Chantier Davie Canada Inc., the shipyard that had the $667-million contract to refit a civilian cargo ship as a navy supply ship.

It was meant as a stop-gap measure until the navy could take delivery of two new supply ships. But there were concerns that the Liberal government was going to delay or even cancel the contract because of concerns raised by two other shipyards.

The leaked classified information was used to influence “decision makers through various means, including the media,” the documents filed by the RCMP allege.

The documents detail how one email from an unnamed source included the subject line “From Mark,” which lead the RCMP investigator to believe Norman had leaked the classified information. The documents allege that Norman leaked the information to Spencer Fraser, chief executive of Project Resolve, which was created by Chantier Davie to handle the navy ship contract.

However, while Norman was the focus of the police investigation, the documents also make reference to a second government official they allege “independently leaked classified information.” The leak from second, unnamed government official went to a lobbyist at Hill and Knowlton, the documents say.

The RCMP says its investigation involved witness interviews, forensic analysis of a “significant” number of documents and assistance from U.S. authorities. Search warrants were executed to obtain email records and other documents from the shipyard, lobbying firms in Ottawa and Norman’s Ottawa home.

Norman is scheduled to appear in court on April 10, 2018.

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