A member of the Alberta legislature investigated by the RCMP after admitting to hacking a government health website is charged under the provincial health information law.
Alberta RCMP’s cybercrime investigation team says it has accused Thomas Dang of attempting to illegally access private information contained on Alberta Health’s vaccine portal.
If convicted, the Edmonton-South second-term deputy could face a fine of up to $ 200,000.
He is scheduled to appear in court on July 27.
The RCMP announced the indictment in a statement on Friday.
No criminal charges
Dang had been under criminal investigation since last November, when the RCMP said it had received information about suspicious activities related to the vaccination records portal.
Leah Ward, a Dang media spokeswoman, said last week she was notified she would not be charged with a criminal offense.
“[There’s] some relief from the information he received last week through his lawyer, who was informed by the Crown that the criminal investigation had ended and that there would be no criminal charges, ”Ward told CBC News on Friday.
The RCMP searched Dang’s residence on 21 December. Police investigated after Dang admitted to using his computer to track a voter’s advice on possible loopholes that allowed access to people’s private health information on the vaccine registration website. COVID-19 of the province.
He later said that when he encountered obstacles in trying to infringe the vaccination site, he used the date of birth and vaccination dates of Prime Minister Jason Kenney, both publicly available, which allowed him to violate the privacy guarantees of the place.
Dang resigned from the NDP caucus when he became aware of the RCMP investigation in December 2021 and has been sitting in the House as an independent MP.
Following news last week that he would not be charged with a felony, Dang sent a letter to NDP caucus president Joe Ceci asking for permission to join the NDP caucus.
NPD leader Rachel Notley made a statement shortly after.
“I will review the new information presented by Thomas Dang and consult with my colleagues before making a decision on whether he can return to our caucus.”
Notley said the party executive will consider the information before deciding whether Dang will be allowed to seek the NDP nomination in Edmonton-South.
Brad Rutherford, the head of the UCP government, said in a statement that Dang should resign.
“Thomas Dang’s behavior has been shameful and has culminated in these RCMP charges,” he said.