OTTAWA - A number of border officials have been given a rap on the knuckles for leaking information about a man who used an elaborate disguise to try to get into the country.
The Chinese man was detained by authorities in October 2010, when he arrived in Vancouver.
According to information presented at immigration hearings, he boarded an Air Canada flight from Hong Kong wearing an elaborate latex mask similar to ones used in Hollywood movies.
He looked like an elderly Caucasian man.
CNN obtained pictures of the young man both with and without his disguise and his case became a worldwide media sensation.
An official with Canada Border Services Agency says a total of 19 employees forwarded the photo or the intelligence report to "non-authorized recipients."
"These actions are contrary to the CBSA code of conduct and applicable policies," Patrizia Giolti, a spokesperson for CBSA, said in an email Saturday.
But it's still not clear how CNN obtained the images, Giolti said.
"There is no conclusive evidence that any of these unauthorized transmissions of the report were the source of the information used by media outlets," she added.
An Immigration and Refugee Board adjudicator ordered the man released in February as authorities consider his plea for refugee status.
The migrant's identity is protected by a publication ban.
