The RCMP has charged suspended Vice-Admiral Mark Norman, the former second-in-command of the Canadian Armed Forces, with breach of trust for allegedly leaking information about a government shipbuilding program.

The charges, which were filed in Ottawa Friday, come just over year after Norman was suspended from duty under initially unclear circumstances.

“Norman is alleged to have illegally disclosed government information to unauthorized parties,” the RCMP said in a statement released Friday. “This investigation began in December 2015 when the RCMP received a complaint alleging that cabinet confidence information about a Canadian naval supply ship contract had been leaked.”

According to the RCMP, Noman was investigated by its National Division's Sensitive and International Investigations Section, which “focuses on criminal activity that poses a threat to Canada's government institutions, public officials, the integrity of the Crown, or that imperils Canada's political, economic or social integrity.”

The controversy surrounding Norman became public on Jan. 16, 2017, just days after the career sailor received a letter of temporary dismissal with pay from Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance, following a police raid of Norman’s suburban Ottawa home. That letter offered no explanation as to why Norman had been relieved from his duties.

The next day, military sources began telling CTV News that Norman had been dismissed due to an RCMP investigation into the leaking of secret government information related to a naval shipbuilding contract.

Those allegations were confirmed in April 2017 when court documents pertaining to the case were made public. In those documents, the RCMP alleged that Norman had leaked information to Quebec-based Davie Shipbuilding in Nov. 2015 over fears that the new Trudeau government would scuttle a project to convert a civilian container ship into a temporary naval resupply vessel. At the time, the Royal Canadian Navy had recently retired its last two resupply ships, thus limiting its ability to support overseas missions.

The $700 million Davie contract had been awarded under Prime Minister Stephen Harper earlier in 2015, without an open competition, when Norman served as commander of the Navy. But when the Liberals took control of Parliament in Nov. 2015, they soon decided to reconsider the contract after receiving complaints from a pair of shipbuilding companies, both of which claimed to be able to complete the project at a lower cost. That’s when Norman allegedly leaked secret cabinet information to Davie as part of a supposed plot to help the company pressure the government into sticking with its original plan.

Despite the alleged intrigue, the Liberals ultimately stood by the Davie contract. The reconfigured ship, the MV Asterix, was delivered to the navy on March 6.

Norman has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. None of the above allegations have been proven in court.

In a statement released Friday, Norman’s lawyer, Marie Henein, said that her team was only made aware of the charges just hours before they were laid.

“That lack of transparency has unfortunately been a feature of this investigation for the last year,” said Henein.

In her statement, Henein also characterized Norman as a dedicated military man guided only by his “love of this country and ensuring its military strength.”

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

Henein added that Norman is an “extraordinary Canadian” who should be celebrated rather than prosecuted, thus wasting public funds.

“We will address this allegation with the very same commitment and strength that Vice-Admiral Norman has displayed throughout his distinguished career,” she said. “We will respond to this allegation in a courtroom where evidence, objectivity and fairness matter and where politics have absolutely no place.”

Norman is scheduled to appear in court on April 10. If found guilty of breach of trust, he could face up to five years in prison.

On Friday evening, Gen. Vance released a statement saying that Norman “remains a member of‎ the Canadian Armed Forces” and that he will “continue to refrain from commenting publically on this case.”

“As Chief of the Defence Staff, I must consider the impact and implications of criminal charges against a senior Canadian Armed Forces Officer on our organization,” the statement read. “This is a complex matter, separate from the judicial process. I need time to weigh these factors carefully and deliberately.”

With files from CTV’s Mercedes Stephenson and Glen McGregor in Ottawa and files from The Canadian Press

The RCMP were at the point where they were going to have to request to keep the evidence for more time, turn it back over to Norman and not press charges or press charges. #cdnpoli #CAF #RCMP — Mercedes Stephenson (@CTVMercedes) March 9, 2018

The RCMP have always said there is a second person they are investigating who may have leaked the information... still no info on that person's identity or whether they will be charged #cdnpoli #CAF #RCMP — Mercedes Stephenson (@CTVMercedes) March 9, 2018

Henein says "This is a very sad day for an extraordinary Canadian who we should be celebrating rather than prosecuting." #MarkNorman #CAF #cdnpoli #RCMP — Mercedes Stephenson (@CTVMercedes) March 9, 2018

Henein (Norman's lawyer) says "the lack of transparency has unfortunately been a feature of this investigation for the last year" #cdnpoli #CAF #RCMP — Mercedes Stephenson (@CTVMercedes) March 9, 2018

Statement from Vice Admiral Norman's lawyer says they were warned only hours before charges were sworn that Norman was to be charged #RCMP #cdnpoli #CAF — Mercedes Stephenson (@CTVMercedes) March 9, 2018