Michael Spavor reaches settlement with federal government over China detention

OTTAWA — The lawyer for Michael Spavor says his client has reached a settlement with the federal government over his three-year detention in China.

John Phillips says in an email that the matter between Spavor and the federal government has been “resolved.”

He did not elaborate and no other details were immediately available; media reports suggest the settlement is worth as much as $7 million. 

Spavor and diplomat Michael Kovrig were detained in late 2018 when Canada found itself caught in a diplomatic crisis with China and the United States. 

Their arrests were widely seen as retaliation for the arrest in Vancouver of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. extradition warrant.

In an explosive Globe and Mail report last November, Spavor alleged he was detained because he unwittingly shared sensitive intelligence with Kovrig that was later provided to Ottawa and Canada’s foreign allies.

The two Michaels, as the pair became known, were released in September 2021 on the very day of Meng’s release. 

The Huawei scion, who faced charges of violating U.S. sanctions against Iran, was freed after reaching a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2024.

The Canadian Press