Retired Scientist Dennis Lu Faces January Trial on Unauthorized Computer Use

Retired Natural Resources Canada scientist Dennis Lu faces trial in Ottawa in January on two counts of unauthorized use of a computer and one count of breach of trust, Cbc reported. Lu, 65, specialized in carbon capture and decarbonization at the department’s Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology. He was fired in August 2023 during the week of his planned retirement.

The charges cover the period from his February 2023 leave of absence through his 2024 arrest. Court records show Lu copied 2,414 documents from a shared server on July 7, 2023, and another 188 documents on August 9, 2023. Natural Resources Canada interviewed him on August 17 and referred the matter to the RCMP the same day.

He had sent nearly 2,000 work emails to his personal account while in China earlier that year. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service briefed Natural Resources Canada about Lu at least three times between 2000 and February 2021. An internal investigation began in January 2023 using specific search terms on his computer.

Lu returned to Canada in June 2023 after living in China for about a year following his departure. No evidence indicates Lu shared the documents, Cbc reported. He was arrested in 2024 by Ottawa INSET, an RCMP-led national security team, and released after posting a $10,000 surety bond with conditions restricting travel and passport applications.

Lu’s jury trial is scheduled for Ottawa’s Superior Court.