A Dublin civil servant has been charged with handing over confidential government information to handlers working for a foreign intelligence service. Eugene McKiff, a native of Ukraine who holds Irish citizenship, appeared before Dublin District Court on Saturday.
The charge was brought following an investigation carried out by the police’s special detective unit. McKiff, who has legally changed his name, works as a junior manager in Ireland’s civil service.
Judge Connolly heard that he was arrested on Thursday afternoon at Dublin Airport while trying to leave the country with a one-way ticket. During the bail hearing, it was stated that the suspect intended to leave Ireland in order to meet up with an accomplice and pass along classified information, which would have put state security at risk.
He was charged under Section 9 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud) Offences Act for the unauthorized use of a computer for work-related purposes — an offense that carries a prison sentence of up to ten years if convicted. Reporting restrictions were put in place, preventing journalists from disclosing his Dublin address, the name of the specific government department he worked for, or the name of the foreign country involved in the case.
Objecting to bail, Detective Sergeant Palmer informed the court that an investigation had been launched about a week ago into the civil servant, who had been working in the IT department and previously in the information systems division. He also told the court that additional charges may be brought under the Official Secrets Act.