The Taichung branch of the High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday indicted Republic of China Air Force Academy Colonel Chang Ming-che (張明哲), air force Third Tactical Fighter Wing Lieutenant Colonel Yeh Kuan-chi (葉冠祁) and civilian Chung Shun-ho (鍾順和) for espionage, a source said.
The military investigated Chang after becoming suspicious of his spending, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Chang admitted that he had met with three Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officials in Bali, Indonesia, in 2019, through introductions made by Chung, the source said.
Photo: Chang Jui-chen, Taipei Times
An investigation found that Chung, a Taiwanese businessman in China, had started working for Chinese intelligence after he moved to China in 2005, they said.
Chang told investigators he accepted a gift of NT$300,000 (US$10,155) from a Chinese source and was being paid more than NT$60,000 per month to work for Chinese intelligence, they said.
Chang also received NT$32,000 in cash on Lunar New Year, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, they said.
Investigators believe Chang made NT$1.3 million from such transactions, they added.
Worried that his undocumented income would draw scrutiny, Chang asked the Chinese to have Chung pay him in cash, the source said.
Chang denied providing sensitive or classified information to the Chinese and said that he only compiled reports using publicly available data from the media, they said.
Prosecutors found in Chang’s files that he had gathered and printed classified information, including air force drill briefings, fighter wing briefings and Taiwan-US collaboration data, the source said.
Yeh told investigators that he met Chung through Chang in July 2023, and that Chung had provided him US$5,000 to travel to Singapore to meet with PLA officers in July last year, they said.
Yeh said during questioning that he had helped organize groups in Taiwan with connections to China, the source said.
While Chung denied all allegations, the prosecutors found a report titled “The superior plan is enacted through strategy — Creating a win-win scenario for cross-strait affairs” and documents arranging meetings for Chang and Yeh with PLA officers, as well as tickets for their airfare, they said.
Prosecutors indicted Chang on charges of contravening the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍刑法) and the National Security Act (國家安全法), they said.
The prosecutors are seeking 12 and 11-year prison sentences for Chung and Chang respectively for aiding organizations in Taiwan that were working with China, the source said.
Given Yeh’s admission, the prosecutors plan to ask the courts to give him a reduced sentence, they said.
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