Sunday, October 6

Canadian businessman Michael Spavor sentenced to 11 years in prison for espionage


Condenan en China a 11 años de prisión por espionaje al empresario canadiense Michael Spavor
File photo of 2014 by Michael Spavor.

Photo: REUTERS / copyright

A court in the Chinese city of Dandong this Wednesday sentenced 11 years in prison for spying on Canadian businessman Michael Spavor.

Spavor was detained at 2018 together with former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig .

The verdict further strains the complex Relations between the governments of China and Canada.

It comes at a time when the battle for the extradition to the United States of Meng Wanzhou , senior executive of the technology giant Huawei and daughter of the founder of the signature.

Meng was arrested in Canada in 2018. The United States accuses it of misleading HSBC bank about the true nature of Huawei’s relationship with a company called Skycom, putting the bank at risk of violating Washington’s sanctions against Iran.

In a statement published on Wednesday, the Dandong court announced: “For the commission of the crime of espionage and illegal provision of state secrets, Spavor is sentenced to 11 years in prison, to confiscation of personal property for value of 50.000 yuan (US $ 7. 715) and deportation. ”

In another case different, Chinese courts reject On Tuesday the appeal of a Canadian citizen convicted of drug trafficking, for which his death sentence is upheld.


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