· CBC News ·
Cameron Jay Ortis, right, a former RCMP intelligence director accused of disclosing classified information, leaves the Ottawa Courthouse during a break in proceedings in Ottawa on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press)
A former RCMP officer who was leading an investigation into the alleged Canadian associates of an international money-laundering syndicate says tipping off the targets could have jeopardized an international probe.
Retired staff sergeant Patrick Martin testified Thursday at the trial of Cameron Ortis, the former senior RCMP intelligence official who now faces six charges, including four counts of violating the Security of Information Act.
Ortis, 51, is accused of sharing special operational information "intentionally and without authority" with Salim Henareh and Muhammad Ashraf. He also faces one count of attempting to share special operational information with Farzam Mehdizadeh.
RCMP intelligence reports entered into evidence during the trial show the RCMP was investigating those three men and their money services businesses for potential links to Altaf Khanani, who was suspected of laundering money for terrorists.
Martin told the jury the U.S. and the Australian Federal Police were keen on investigating Khanani. He said the RCMP was leading a probe into Khanani's alleged Toronto connections, an investigation dubbed Project Oryx.
A Project Oryx investigation report Martin wrote has become a key piece of evidence in the Crown's case against Ortis.
According to an agreed statement of facts, a copy of the report was recovered from a USB key at Ortis's apartment.
In the report, Martin wrote that "Khanani uses the services of persons/businesses in Canada who coordinate and reconcile transactions with him."
The Crown alleges snippets of that report and another from the Criminal Intelligence Advisory Group, an offshoot of the Five Eyes alliance, were emailed to Ashraf in 2015. The Five Eyes is an intelligence sharing network made up of the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
"This is not a trick," says the package's cover letter.
"I do not work for a law enforcement or intelligence agency, demonstrated, I think, by the attached documents. I do, however, have the ability to access a wide variety of information."
A package of classified material was mailed to Henareh in 2015, the jury heard. The Crown alleges Ortis was the sender.
Under questioning by Crown lawyer John MacFarlane, Martin told the jury he had no idea at the time that someone had sent his secret report.
"If subjects know that they're being watched by the RCMP or investigated by the armed security police force, they may change their tactics, they may stop what they're doing altogether. And it would certainly affect our investigation," he said.
"It could totally shut it down."
And not just in Canada, he said.
"It could jeopardize an ongoing investigation, in this case with the Australian Federal Police, with the DEA [Drug Enforcement Administration] in the United States," he said.
"It can have a ripple effect on other ongoing investigations globally."
Ortis has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. His defence argues he had the authority to do everything he did.
Martin said there are strict rules for RCMP undercover operations. There has to be an approved operational plan, the undercover officer has to have specific training and a "cover" person has to be assigned to keep tabs on the undercover officer for safety, he said.
Under cross-examination, Ortis's lawyer Jon Doody asked the former Mountie if he'd ever heard of an online undercover operation.
Martin said he had not.
Ortis is also accused of leaking special operational information to Vincent Ramos, the head of a company that was accused of selling encrypted phones to criminals, including the Khanani network and drug cartels. He also faces two Criminal Code charges: breach of trust and unauthorized use of a computer.
On Thursday afternoon, the jury heard from retired RCMP chief superintendent Warren Coons, who sometimes chaired meetings with the RCMP's Five Eyes partners.
He said he never discussed disclosing RCMP or allied intelligence with Ortis.
Coons will be cross-examined when the trial resumes Friday.
Ramos is serving a nine-year prison sentence in the U.S.
Henareh's lawyer said he has "been fully investigated by the RCMP and he has been completely exonerated." CBC has attempted to contact Ashraf through his company but hasn't received a response yet.
Khanani was arrested in Florida in the fall of 2015. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cameron-ortis-day-5-1.6993697
My comments about this CBC Article
Firstly, CBC never normally allow comments on a story that is about an ongoing criminal trial or even a civil trial
so it was an open invitation to post comments about the corruption at 161 Elgin street , and why CBC appeared to
be deliberately sabotaging the Otis's right to a fair trial.
Almost all my posts got "awaiting review" which is CBC's way of delaying for an hour your comment so its burried in past posts
that are unlikely to be read. Some were approved within minutes and then viewers who are part of the establishment starting
sending "red flags" , flagging my post as inappropriate and CBC then remove the post.
All my posts about CBC depriving OTIS of a fair trial, while undergoing jury selection were removed
and hours later, all comments were removed and the story no longer has comments available.
Here are a few of my posts that I made on CBC.
The charges against Cameron Ortis are about the most serious that anyone can face, they allege treason, and despite that he was granted bail, and he is fortunate enough to be able to retain one of the best criminal law teams in Ottawa.
For many Canadians any lower criminal charge frequently damages one's reputation creates disabling stress and anxiety that prevents even a lawyer from representing themselvs.
If any crown prosecutor or criminal lawyer was facing charges, they would not attempt to represent themselves and neither would any person with commonsense regardless of their education.
When Canadians hear the expression 'trial fairness' they don't know that across Canada the courts assume if you can't afford a lawyer that you can represent yourself.
The Ontario government fights tooth and nail to object to any Rowbotham application for appointment of a lawyer. It results in wrongful convictions that typically cost $400, a year to keep incarcerated all to save around $1500 per trial day of a criminal lawyer or what is called in the USA a "public defender"
While we hear this trial progress, spare a thought for the thousands of Canadians who each year face trials without a lawyer because the government turns a blind eye , total denial to the cost of wrongful convictions resulting from denial of fundamental legal rights that are recognized by all other democractic countries except Canada.