An appeal by convicted Chinese spy Zhou Hongxu (周泓旭) against the Taiwan High Court extending his detention was yesterday rejected by the Supreme Court.
Zhou, 30, was on Sept. 15 last year given a 14-month sentence by the Taipei District Court for violating the National Security Act (國家安全法) after being found guilty of attempting to develop spy networks in Taiwan.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, who Zhou attempted to bribe in exchange for classified information, reported his actions to the authorities, leading to his arrest and indictment in March last year.
Both Zhou and the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office appealed the ruling.
Zhou last year appealed for bail, but the Taiwan High Court in December last year decided to extend his detention by two more months until Feb. 27 this year, prompting Zhou to appeal to the Supreme Court.
With the Supreme Court’s rejection, Zhou, who has been detained since March 10 last year, has exhausted his appeals.
Zhou in 2012 moved to Taiwan to enroll in a National Chengchi University MBA program. He returned to China in September 2016, before traveling back to Taiwan in February last year, ostensibly as a management investor.
An investigation into several members of the pro-unification New Party, who are suspected of colluding with Zhou to establish spy networks for China, is still being prepared by the Taiwan High Court.
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