Two French intelligence officers have been charged with treason for passing information to China, reports The Times.
The two agents of the General Directorate for External Security (DGSE), France’s equivalent to MI6, were indicted in December, along with one of their wives, according to Florence Parly, the defence minister.
“Two French agents in our service and probably one of the spouses of these agents are accused of serious acts likely to be considered acts of treason, on suspicions of delivering information to a foreign power,” she said.
Ms Parly declined to name the “foreign power” but sources close to the investigation identified it as China.
“France has partners but we live in a dangerous world, and unfortunately these types of things can happen,” said Ms Parly. The spies were believed to have handed over secrets while still working for the DGSE, the minister revealed on CNews television.
According to Le Monde, the agents are suspected of providing information on the working methods of the DGSE. Investigators said that two of the three suspects were accused of “delivering to a foreign power information that undermines the fundamental interests of the nation” and “compromising the secrecy of national defence”.
The defence ministry said that the incident amounted to “acts of extreme gravity”.
The two spies are in detention. The wife, who was charged with “concealment of treasonable crimes”, was released on bail.