Colonel Lo Chi-cheng (羅奇正), who used to work at the Ministry of National Defense’s Military Intelligence Bureau, was sentenced to life in prison plus 27 years for spying for China, taking bribes and extortion.
Lo was given a life sentence for colluding with Lo Pin (羅斌), a China-based Taiwanese businessman, to gather military intelligence for China, the ministry said in a statement, citing the Military High Court verdict.
FALSE INTELLIGENCE
Lo was also sentenced to 14 years in prison for taking bribes from Chinese authorities and was given an additional 13-year sentence for using “false intelligence” fed by China to obtain monetary rewards from Taiwan’s authorities, the ministry said.
A Military High Court panel imposed a prison sentence of life plus 27 years on Lo Chi-cheng for all three crimes, the ministry said. However, the ministry added that he could still appeal the verdict.
Meanwhile, the Taiwan High Court sentenced Lo Pin to three-and-a-half years in prison for violating the National Intelligence Act (國家情報工作法).
The court said in its verdict that Lo Pin was recruited by Lo Chi-cheng in 2003 to help obtain classified information from China.
From February 2004 to October 2005, Lo Pin made 10 visits to China to collect intelligence and was paid NT$50,000 a month, the court verdict read. He was later dropped as a spy in 2005 on suspicion that he had been exposed and was given severance pay of more than NT$870,000, the court said.
Lo Pin was arrested by Chinese security authorities during a trip to China in July 2006. Chinese officials asked him to “redeem himself through good service.”
DOUBLE AGENT
In exchange for his release, Lo Pin made a deal to convince Lo Chi-cheng to spy for China, the verdict read. Tempted by China’s incentives, Lo Chi-cheng began to work as a double agent. In the ensuing years, Lo Pin traveled to Hong Kong on many occasions to deliver intelligence reports leaked by Lo Chi-cheng and to give false intelligence to the latter.
Lo Chi-cheng then used the information to obtain monetary rewards from Taiwanese authorities, the verdict read.
The court verdict said Lo Pin had received a total of US$39,700 plus HK$54,600 (US$6,900) from Chinese agents for his service before he was caught exchanging intelligence with Lo Chi-cheng at Taipei Metro’s Kunyang station in October last year.
Lo Pin was taken into custody on Nov. 1 pending investigation into his role in the espionage case.
During the court hearings, Lo Pin confessed to espionage and was released on NT$100,000 bail earlier this month.
Lo Pin can also appeal his case, the high court said.
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