Alleged RCMP spy released on bail
Cameron Ortis walked out of the Ottawa courthouse Tuesday morning with his lawyer and family members at his side after a judge granted bail to the former high-ranking RCMP intelligence official accused of preparing to leak sensitive information.
Ortis, 47, will live under the strict supervision of his parents in Abbotsford, B.C., as part of a lengthy list of bail conditions imposed by Justice of the Peace Serge Legault, who released Ortis on recognizance after posting a $125,000 bond.
According to the bail conditions, Ortis must remain under house arrest and be supervised by one of his parents at all times, and must not leave the home without one surety present.
He was ordered to surrender his passport within one day of his release and cannot apply for a new one, and beginning Monday, Ortis must report in person each week to the nearest RCMP detachment in Mission, B.C.
He is forbidden from using, possessing or having any access to communication equipment capable of connecting to the internet “or any component thereof,” the judge ordered, including cellphones, computer tablets or any other device. All phones, computers and tablets already owned by his parents must be password-protected, and the judge warned the sureties seated in the courtroom not to share their passwords with their son.
The devices in the condo must be kept protected “on the person unless in locked receptacle.”
Legault said a cellular-connected alarm system would be installed to main door of the residence.
Ortis is also forbidden from any public access to the internet or related devices, and is forbidden from possessing weapons. He is not to contact or communicate with anyone known to have a criminal record or criminal association, or any witness in the proceedings.
Ortis is accused of violating three sections of the Security of Information Act as well as two Criminal Code provisions, including breach of trust, for allegedly trying to disclose classified information to an unspecified foreign entity or terrorist group.
The bail hearing is covered by a publication ban that restricts all evidence given in court and any information related to the proceedings, and will remain in place until the accused is either discharged or a trial is completed.
The former intelligence official remained silent and expressionless in the prisoner’s box for much of the hearing, wearing a dress shirt and dark-rimmed glasses.
RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki has said the allegations, if proven true, are extremely unsettling, given Ortis had access to intelligence from domestic and international allies.
Lucki provided few other details and cautioned that information in the public domain was “speculative, unhelpful and may be harmful to our investigation and judicial process.”