Ex-Mountie Charged for Helping China Allegedly Targeted Vancouver Real Estate Magnate: Report

The RCMP logo is seen on the shoulder of a superintendent during a news conference, June 24, 2023 in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

The former RCMP officer recently arrested for allegedly providing assistance to the Chinese regime had been allegedly hired to track down a real estate tycoon in B.C., according to a media report.

The Globe and Mail reported on Aug. 21 the details that led to charges being filed against William Majcher in mid-July, after receiving confidential information from the RCMP and the FBI from a protected source.

Mr. Majcher, who had been based in Hong Kong for a number of years, was allegedly tasked by Beijing to go after wealthy real estate entrepreneur Kevin Sun, a Chinese national with Canadian permanent residency, the Globe reports.

This was allegedly in support of the Chinese regime’s operations Fox Hunt and Sky Net, set up to track down and/or repatriate high-level targets accused of corruption and embezzlement.

According to the RCMP investigation conducted under the name Project Severo, Beijing sought to recover approximately $544 million that Beijing alleges Mr. Sun obtained through bank fraud

The RCMP publicly stated after arresting Mr. Majcher that their investigation shows he “allegedly used his knowledge and his extensive network of contacts in Canada to obtain intelligence or services to benefit the People’s Republic of China.”

He was charged with “preparatory acts for the benefit of a foreign entity” and “conspiracy.”

“It is alleged that he contributed to the Chinese government’s efforts to identify and intimidate an individual outside the scope of Canadian law,” says the RCMP, which launched its investigation in 2021.

Ian Donaldson, Mr. Majcher’s lawyer, told The Epoch Times his client “insists that he is innocent of the charges and expects that he will demonstrate that to a court, when or if necessary.”

Other Targets

According to the Globe report, the RCMP alleges that the Chinese regime had also asked Mr. Machjer to collect information on or track down other individuals. He allegedly sought to obtain information in 2017 on Rebiya Kadeer, then-U.S.-based president of the World Uyghur Congress.

He is also reportedly alleged to have attempted to use his Canadian law enforcement contacts to help obtain the release of Meng Wangzhou, then-chief financial officer and current deputy chairwoman of Huawei. Ms. Meng was arrested in Canada in late 2018 to comply with a U.S. extradition request. Mr. Majcher was also allegedly tasked with tracking down Jianming Sun, a Chinese fugitive in New York City.

Mr. Donaldson says Mr. Majcher was “not hired by any agency to intimidate any person. He has never met Kevin Sun, Rebiya Kadeem, Meng Wanzhou, or Jianming Sun” and denies “anything inappropriate (let alone any offence)” concerning these individuals.

The Epoch Times sought comment from Kevin Sun’s lawyer, James Carpick, but didn’t immediately hear back. Mr. Carpick told the Globe that his client reimbursed his debt with the Chinese bank in 2013 and that he was not a “victim of extortion committed by the Chinese government through its alleged agent, Mr. Majcher.”

Mr. Carpick also said Mr. Sun has not been compelled to testify in any trial nor would he voluntarily testify at Mr. Machjer’s trial, and neither did he provide a statement or interview to the RCMP.

The Globe reported that an international arrest warrant had been issued by China against Mr. Sun in 2015 through Interpol.

RCMP information reportedly shows that Mr. Majcher sought to use the Interpol Red Notice as a pressure tactic to tell Mr. Sun that if he cooperates, he could guarantee him his Chinese passport and no jail time.

An RCMP officer at the Canadian embassy in Beijing reportedly indicated that China’s Ministry of Public Security had cancelled the Red Notice in 2018 after negotiations with Mr. Sun and provided him with a new passport.

The RCMP reportedly says this settlement matches with Mr. Majcher’s alleged objective.

Bail

Mr. Majcher was granted bail on July 25 by a Quebec court, despite Mr. Majcher having been arrested and detained in British Colombia. Mr. Majcher spent most of his RCMP career in B.C., but the investigation was run from Montreal.

Insp. David Beaudoin, who is in charge of Montreal’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET), previously told The Epoch Times that Mr. Majcher’s “network of connections is quite substantial in Canada.”

“I don’t believe it limits itself to British Columbia. However, I will confirm that that’s where he spent most of his service with the RCMP. So therefore, yes, there’s a good part of his network that is in British Columbia.”

Mr. Majcher worked for the RCMP from 1985 until 2007 and the alleged offences took place between 2014 and 2019 in Canada, Hong Kong, and China.

The case is expected to return to court in Longueuil, Quebec, on Aug. 29.

Andrew Chen and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.