The Taipei District Court yesterday sentenced Chinese intelligence officer Zhen Xiaojiang (鎮小江), who recruited Taiwanese military personnel as part of a spy ring, to four years in jail for violations of the National Security Act (國家安全法).
Five other people, all Taiwanese military officers, who were also found guilty in yesterday’s ruling, were given more lenient sentences.
The court gave retired army major-general Hsu Nai-chuan (許乃權) a three-year jail term, while retired air force colonel Chou Chih-li (周自立) received a suspended 18-month sentence with five years of probation; retired army officer Yang Jung-hua (楊榮華) a suspended five-month term with two years of probation; retired air force pilot Sung Chia-lu (宋嘉祿) a suspended 12-month sentence with four years of probation; and retired air force pilot Ma Po-le (馬伯樂) a suspended four-month term with two years of probation.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
According to the ruling, the sentences for all except Hsu and Chou can be commuted to fines.
Yang, Sung and Ma will not be required to serve time in prison due to their suspended sentences.
The trial was held in chambers and was closed to the media due to the sensitive nature of military and state security information and materials being discussed in the case.
The judge said Zhen succeeded in recruiting a significant number of Taiwanese military personnel to work for China, and inflicted major damage to national security and the operations of the armed forces.
Zhen, who retired from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at the rank of captain, was last year apprehended by authorities for operating what was said to be the largest Chinese spy ring in Taiwan in years.
Reports said Zhen joined the Chinese Ministry of State Security after retiring from the PLA, obtained Hong Kong residency in 2005 and then traveled to Taiwan numerous times on business and tourist visas.
During his visits, Zhen recruited Taiwanese military personnel by offering financial rewards and other inducements, asking them for classified information on the nation’s radar stations, key defense installations and intelligence on US-sourced advanced aircraft and other weapons systems.
A judicial investigation found that Zhen’s spy ring gathered and passed on to China classified information on the Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter jet, the ultra-high-frequency radar installation on Leshan (樂山) in Hsinchu County and other weapons platforms.
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