A former Canadian Space Agency engineer may have been a bad employee by helping a Chinese company, but he is neither a criminal nor a spy, the defense argues.
• Also read: According to the Crown, the defendant betrayed Canada
• Also read: The defendant allegedly took a day off from the Canadian Space Agency to help China
• Also read: The defendant would have had difficulty understanding the concept of conflict of interest
Wanping Zheng should not have been charged with breach of trust by an official, his lawyer emphasized in his pleas this morning.
His 63-year-old client is accused of using his status as an engineer at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to represent the interests of the Chinese aerospace company Spacety.
“He is 100% in a conflict of interest but he has committed no crime, the public interest has not been compromised,” Mr Andrew Barbacki said.
The defendant is hiding behind his lawyer Me Andrew Barbacki. Photo Toma Iczkovits / QMI Agency
Chasing the carrot
According to the Crown’s theory, the defendant favored the interests of the Chinese company Spacety by promoting that company and its products at low prices compared to other Canadian companies.
Furthermore, he never disclosed anything to his employer and even lied when asked to disclose his activities outside Canada, particularly in China, since the CSA does not work with that country.
But Wanping Zheng only acted as an intermediary and translator, his lawyer said.
“He didn’t declare that he worked for Spacety. However, he did not use his status as a civil servant to exert influence. He was more looking for the carrot,” Me Barbacki added.
In fact, Wanping Zheng hoped to find a job by helping the Chinese company.
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S‘arrange a career
“His only intention, and he went too far, was to secure a career after leaving the ASC,” Mr. Barbacki stressed.
During his police interview after his arrest in October 2021, the defendant asserted that his sole intention was to benefit Canada by providing business opportunities to Canadian companies.
Wanping Zheng, who was targeted by his employer’s internal investigation, resigned from the Canadian Space Agency in September 2019. A month later he was hired by Spacety, where he then became CEO of the European division in Luxembourg.
I Marc Cignana and I Samuel Monfette-Tessier from the Canadian Public Prosecution Service represented the prosecution.
Judge Marc-Antoine Carette is expected to deliver his verdict in the coming months.