The High Court yesterday found a New Taipei City woman guilty of charges related to helping Beijing secure surrender agreements from military service members.
Lee Huei-hsin (李慧馨) was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for breaching the National Security Act (國家安全法), making illegal compacts with government employees and bribery, the court said.
The verdict is final.
Photo: Reuters
Lee, the manager of a temple in the city’s Lujhou District (蘆洲), was accused of arranging for eight service members to make surrender pledges to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in exchange for money, the court said.
The pledges, which required them to provide identification and proof of service documents, were recorded on video and conducted while dressed in military uniforms next to China’s national flag, it said.
Chinese officials recruited Lee at a religious event in China and instructed her to use her connections to find military personnel who had incurred debts, the court said.
She also assisted China’s intelligence service to obtain national secrets and recruit informants in the military, it said.
Bonus payments were provided as an incentive for the military personnel to introduce other vulnerable colleagues to Lee and her handlers, it said.
Lee’s sentencing was reduced following her admission of guilt during the investigation, the verdict said.
Five active duty service members received sentences ranging from five years and eight months in prison to three years and two months, depending on the severity of the crime and their compliance with the investigation, it said.
Some of the active duty personnel involved in Lee’s scheme who received heavier sentences had recruited fellow military members for payment or received a salary to regularly report secrets, it said.
The court also sentenced a retired service member to six months in prison for photographing materials used in the presidential national security brief, it said.
Another retired service member was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison for taking bribes while working for the government, it said.
The court sentenced Lee’s subordinate in the scheme to two years and two months in prison, the court said.
The defendants’ ability to appeal their sentences varies according to the circumstances of each case, it added.
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