In a case that could be from a spy thriller, two former French intelligence agents go on trial on Monday accused of having passed on secrets to a foreign power, reports The Straits Times.
While French officials have been at pains to avoid releasing details of the affair, the pair are accused of working for China, according to several media reports.
Pierre-Marie H and Henri M will appear in a special court accused of "delivering information to a foreign power" and "damaging the fundamental interests of the nation".
Both men worked for France's foreign intelligence service, the DGSE. They face 15 years in prison if convicted.
Both men, now retired, were charged and detained in December 2017, although Pierre-Marie H has since been released on bail.
His wife, Laurence H, also faces trial, accused of "concealment of property derived from intelligence with a foreign power likely to harm the fundamental interests of the nation".
The court that tries them will be made up exclusively of professional magistrates, and given the sensitive nature of the case, will probably be tried behind closed doors.
When the story was finally revealed in May 2018, French officials described it as an "extremely serious" case.
The then armed forces minister Florence Parly said that the two were suspected of having committed what could be described as "treasonous" acts that could have jeopardised national defence secrets.
It was the DGSE itself that detected the leak and presented its findings to prosecutors, said the defence ministry.
Officials have said little about the details of the case or even for which country they were allegedly working.
According to several media reports however, the two men, colleagues at the DGSE in the 1990s, were working for China.
Read more of this AFP report published by The Straits Times.