The Taiwan High Court on Tuesday handed down a sentence of three-and-a-half years to a former air force captain for attempting to suborn military personnel into leaking sensitive intelligence after being recruited by China.
Chen Kuo-wei (陳國瑋) was found guilty of violating the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪汙治罪條例), the court said.
The ruling can be appealed.
The court said that Chen had graduated from the Republic of China Air Force Academy in 1993 and served in the military until his retirement in 2011. He move to China in 2015 for business and opened a restaurant in Shanghai.
At that time, Chen provided a channel for Taiwan’s intelligence service to remit money to the account of a Taiwanese agent, but he was recruited by the Chinese Ministry of State Security.
At that point Chen was instructed by the Chinese to return to Taiwan and collect sensitive intelligence.
Chen contacted active and retired military officers in Taiwan, some of whom worked for the Military Intelligence Bureau, who immediately reported the encounter to the bureau.
After returning to Taiwan from Shanghai in late September last year, Chen was arrested in early October and detained ever since.
Chen admitted to collecting intelligence and attempting to bribe bureau agents, but insists he is not a spy.
Chen was trained and cultivated by Taiwan, but had been recruited by China to engage in espionage, the court said.
As Chen’s activities were detected early, it is thought national security was not compromised.
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