The High Court on Thursday sentenced a retired army lieutenant colonel surnamed Lan (藍) to two years and three months in jail for supplying China with the names and activities of personnel at intelligence agencies.
The verdict reversed an earlier ruling of a suspended sentence.
Lan, 60, was convicted of contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法).
In May, the Pingtung District Court found Lan guilty, handing him a term of two years and six months, but suspended the sentence.
The Pingtung court said that Lan’s spying activities took place in 2005 and 2006, adding that his activities “did not cause real damage to Taiwan’s national security.”
The High Court ruled that “the penalty was too lenient and has no deterrent effect,” adding that “the leaked intelligence materials were highly sensitive and resulted in serious harm to Taiwan’s national security.”
His sentence includes a mandatory two-year prison term, while the further three month sscan be commuted to a fine.
Lan served in the Republic of China Army Logistics Command and held positions at the Ministry of National Defense before teaching at several military-affiliated universities.
He retired in 1996.
Investigators said that Lan in 2004 went to China to work for a Taiwanese business, with stints in Shanghai, Fuzhou, Shenzhen and Nanning.
Lan befriended Chinese government officials, including two men from intelligence agencies surnamed Li (李) and Huang (黃), the investigators said.
Li and Huang plied Lan with money and arranged sexual services in exchange for espionage work, the investigators said.
Lan returned to Taiwan for several months in 2005 and 2006, and obtained highly sensitive materials, including information on four officers at the National Security Bureau and the Military Intelligence Bureau: their ranks, work units, details of office and field activities, as well as their education and training background, the investigators said.
He also attempted to recruit military officers to spy for China, they said.
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