A Hydro-Quebec employee from the greater Montreal area accused of industrial espionage has appeared in court for the first time since being arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). He allegedly sent trade secrets to China.
Yuesheng Wang, 35, appeared before the Court of Quebec in Longueuil on Monday, by videoconference from RCMP headquarters in Montreal, with the help of a translator.
This resident of Candiac, in Montérégie, was accused of obtaining a trade secret for the benefit of the People’s Republic of China. This is the first time in Canada that someone has been charged with economic espionage under the Security of Information Act.
Mr. Wang was also charged with three Criminal Code offences: fraudulent and unauthorized use of a computer; obtaining a trade secret by deception, lying or other fraudulent means; and breach of trust.
The Crown opposed bail in Mr. Wang’s case, citing a flight risk.
The case has been adjourned to Friday, when more evidence will be released. The parties will then discuss scheduling a bail hearing.
Quebec’s electric utility said Wang was a researcher who worked on battery materials with the Center of Excellence in Transportation Electrification and Energy Storage, known as CETEES.
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