Picture copyright Alamy A British bu
Picture copyright
Alamy
A British businessman, previously of MI6, is beneath investigation for allegedly promoting data to undercover spies from China, a Whitehall official says.
Fraser Cameron, who runs the EU-Asia Centre assume tank, is suspected of passing delicate details about the EU to 2 spies allegedly posing as Brussels-based journalists.
He’s alleged to have exchanged the data for 1000’s of Euros.
However Mr Cameron instructed The Occasions the allegations had been “ridiculous”.
The businessman, who labored for Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service from 1976 to 1991, says he has no entry to any “secret or confidential data”.
Mr Cameron, who has additionally labored for the International Workplace and European Fee, Htold Politico that the allegations “are with out basis”, saying he has “a variety of Chinese language contacts as a part of my duties with the EU-Asia Centre and a few of them could have a double operate”.
A senior Whitehall official, who requested to not be named, instructed the BBC the investigation had been a long-running joint inquiry between British and Belgian intelligence and claimed {that a} breakthrough had are available current months.
He stated this was an amazing instance of how carefully British intelligence labored with its European companions.
The BBC’s safety correspondent Frank Gardner says there have been rising fears in regards to the extent of covert Chinese language intelligence-gathering in Europe, together with over delicate negotiations between the EU and Britain over Brexit.
Belgium’s state safety service is quoted by the Monetary Occasions as saying Mr Cameron’s alleged actions posed “a transparent menace in direction of the European establishments” based mostly within the Belgian capital.
The investigation is reportedly being run by Belgium’s federal prosecutors.