While answering questions about potential settlements for two Canadians who were imprisoned for three years in China, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not discuss specifics but said Canada is “continuing to support them.”
After the Globe and Mail reported that Michael Spavor had reached a settlement, Spavor’s lawyer confirmed his client had settled the legal issue with the government of Canada.
In an email to CTV News, lawyer John K. Phillips said: “I apologize, but I am only able to say that the matter between Mr. Spavor and the Government of Canada has been resolved.”
The resolution of the matter happened over two years after Michael Kovrig and Spavor were freed by China, and a few months after The Globe and Mail revealed that Canada was ready to sign off on multimillion-dollar packages for both of them.
When asked, Trudeau did not say if the same arrangement has been made with Kovrig.
Trudeau said: “I’m not going to get into these matters, because of confidentiality issues. But of course, Canada has been there to fight for the two Michaels’ freedom and we will be there as they rebuild their lives.”
Recall that while citing unnamed sources late last year, the Globe and Mail reported that Spavor was demanding a multimillion-dollar settlement and alleged that he was detained for unwittingly sharing with Kovrig sensitive intelligence connected to North Korea that was then released to Canadian officials and allies.
According to reports, the settlement is worth around $7 million, though details about the resolution of the legal matter have not been specified, nor validated by CTV News.
Trudeau said: “From the very beginning, we’ve been there to support the two Michaels who went through unimaginable difficulties being arbitrarily detained by China
“We will continue to be there to support them… recognizing that no one should have had to go through that situation. The decision by China to use them as pawns in geopolitical games was absolutely unacceptable.”
When asked to comment on Chinese state media reporting that the resolution of Spavor’s legal matter was an indication of wrongdoing, Trudeau said there was absolutely no justification, no reason, no excuse” for their detention.
He said: “The fact that the Chinese government thinks that because we actually believe in supporting and taking care of citizens who go through hardship, as somehow proof for letting them off the hook, just demonstrates the depths to which China does not understand what it is to be a rule of law country that takes care of its citizens.”
