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Prosecutors are expected to withdraw a criminal charge against Vice-Adm. Mark Norman, providing a major victory for the senior naval officer who has always maintained his innocence in advocating for the government to build a naval supply ship.

The announcement, expected Wednesday morning according to sources with knowledge of the matter, will end the government’s two-year legal battle against the officer and heads off what would have been a politically explosive trial for the Liberal government in the middle of a federal election campaign.

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The Public Prosecution Service of Canada took the unusual step Tuesday evening of advising journalists that they might want to attend an already-scheduled appearance at Norman’s pre-trial hearing Wednesday morning in Ottawa.

Norman, who was the second-highest ranking officer in the Canadian Forces, was charged last year with one count of breach of trust. The RCMP alleged Norman tipped off Davie Shipbuilding in the fall of 2015 that the Liberal government was considering delaying a project in which the Quebec firm would convert a commercial ship into a much-needed supply vessel for the Royal Canadian Navy. Details about the government’s decision were also leaked to journalists, and the resulting embarrassment — along with $89 million in financial penalties that would have been imposed on the government — forced the Liberals to back down on their plans.