The former Hydro-Quebec employee accused of economic espionage for the benefit of China assured Thursday, on the second day of his bail hearing, that he wanted to stay in Canada to clear his reputation.
Yuesheng Wang appeared again at the Longueuil courthouse. The 35-year-old man has been detained since his arrest on November 14 by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Crown prosecutors oppose his release on bail because they fear the accused will leave the country.
Mr. Wang, who lives in Candiac, Montérégie, is the first person to be charged with economic espionage under Canada’s Privacy Act.
He also faces three charges under the Criminal Code: breach of trust, fraudulent and unauthorized use of a computer, and obtaining a trade secret by deception, lying or other fraudulent means.
The RCMP alleges that the former Hydro-Quebec employee provided information about the state-owned company to a Chinese university and Chinese research centers, and that he published scientific articles and filed patents with these establishments rather than with Hydro.
According to Hydro-Quebec, Mr. Wang worked at its Center of Excellence in Transport Electrification and Energy Storage in Varennes. There he conducted research on battery materials, a booming sector.
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