Paul William Hampel

Paul William Hampel is the fictitious name of a man accused by the Canadian government of being a Russian spy masquerading as a Canadian citizen. He was arrested on November 14, 2006 at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport at about 6 p.m. just prior to boarding a plane departing Canada.[1] When he was arrested, he had in his possession a fraudulent Ontario birth certificate, Can$7,800 in five currencies, [2] a shortwave radio, index cards with detailed notes about Canadian history, two digital cameras, three cell phones and five cell phone sim cards, some of them password-protected.[3]

He was detained under a security certificate, signed by Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day and Immigration Minister Monte Solberg. According to the National Post, the certificate asserts that the individual "was a foreign national engaged in espionage, a member of an espionage organisation and 'a danger to the security of Canada.'"[4] Specifically, he is suspected of being an elite agent in the SVR, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service.[5] A Federal Court judge has found the certificate reasonable and ordered Hampel to be expelled from Canada.[6] In order to speed up the deportation, Federal Court Justice Pierre Blais made a deal with the accused to seal the man's real name because of concerns for the safety of his family. In exchange, Hampel will not contest deportation to his homeland.[7]

Hampel has admitted through his lawyer "that he is not Paul William Hampel, that he is a Russian citizen, born on October 21, 1961, and that he has no legal status in Canada." He does not admit to being a spy.[6]

Hampel started an "emerging markets" consultancy in Dublin, Ireland, but the business was stagnant in recent years. In 1997, Hampel set up in Dublin a company called Emerging Markets Research and Consulting Limited, and put one million dollars of capital into the company; however, the company never filed any returns. The company formed part of a business empire that Hampel controlled, and which operated in Sark, Belgrade, Cyprus and Canada.[8]

Hampel frequently traveled to Balkans and published a book of photographs, My Beautiful Balkans.[9]