Canada’s Michael Spavor blames fellow prisoner Michael Kovrig for China arrest
- The consultant shared information with Kovrig, a report says, not knowing it would be relayed to the Canadian government and its Five Eyes intelligence partners
- The detention of the ‘two Michaels’ was seen as retaliation for Canada’s arrest of Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou at the request of the US
One of two Canadians imprisoned in China for nearly three years said his fellow inmate shared intelligence on North Korea with Canada and allied spy services, which was a factor in their arrests, according to a report by the Globe and Mail.
More than two years after his return to Canada, Michael Spavor is seeking millions of dollars from the Canadian government as compensation, the newspaper said, citing information from people it did not name.
Chinese authorities arrested Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig in December 2018 in what was seen as retaliation for Canada’s arrest of Meng Wanzhou, a top Huawei Technologies executive, at the request of US authorities.
Spavor, a consultant who tried to promote business ties between Canada and North Korea, is one of the few Westerners to have established a relationship with dictator Kim Jong-un.
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The Globe wrote that Spavor shared information with Kovrig, without knowing it would be relayed to the Canadian government and its Five Eyes intelligence partners.
The Canadian government has always denied China’s allegations of espionage that put the two Michaels behind bars.
They were released in September 2021 after more than 1,000 days, following an agreement that allowed Wanzhou’s return to China.
