Global Affairs Canada ‘aware’ of Canadian detained in Switzerland over espionage concerns

Global Affairs Canada (GAC) tells CTV News it “is aware of reports of a Canadian being detained in Switzerland,” following media reports Thursday that a former Canadian UN official is being held over espionage suspicions.

“Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed,” the GAC spokesperson said.

The story was first reported as a joint investigation by German news outlet Der Spiegel, Swiss media outlet Tamedia and NK News, a U.S. news outlet providing analyses on North Korea. CTV News has not independently verified the story.

According to NK News, the Canadian who is in his fifties and currently works as a North Korea expert regularly travelled to China for his work as an environment consultant. Following multiple investigations that go back to at least 2021, Swiss authorities arrested him this spring over suspicions of spying. The investigations found that he was likely working on behalf of China.

The individual has not been publicly charged or convicted.

In a statement to CTV News, the Swiss Attorney General’s office would not specifically comment on the details of the story, but said in part that it is in “the public interest to allow the criminal prosecution authorities to carry out their work under the best conditions; and espionage is by definition an area where it is particularly important to be able to keep certain investigations secret.”

Switzerland Federal Criminal Court documents shared to CTV News reveal the attorney general’s office opened an investigation on March 14, 2023 into an unnamed individual on “suspicion of political intelligence, economic intelligence and military intelligence for the benefit of a foreign state.”