The Supreme Administrative Court has upheld a ruling that a retired military intelligence officer must return pension payments totaling about NT$1.66 million (US$53,528) after being convicted of leaking military secrets to an intermediary who passed them on to China.
The verdict against the retired lieutenant colonel, surnamed Chu (朱), cannot be appealed, the supreme court said on Nov. 24 after a review of the case’s ruling, which had been handed down by a lower administrative court.
Chu had been issued a notice by the Public Service Pension Fund Management Board to return NT$1.66 million in pension payments he received from 2015 to 2020 after a court in January 2020 found him guilty of passing classified military information to a middleman, who then passed them to authorities in China.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
He was sentenced to three years and six months in prison, and was released on probation in January this year.
After his release, Chu filed a request with the pension board to reverse the decision on repayment, which was dismissed, prompting him to file an administrative litigation case with the Taipei High Administrative Court.
In its ruling, the Taipei administrative court said due to Chu’s conviction under the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces, his eligibility for a pension had been voided, a ruling that Chu then appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court.
Chu’s trial began after he was found to have passed sensitive military information to Lin Han (林翰) between December 2013 and July 2014 while serving as an active intelligence officer before his retirement in 2015.
Lin, a retired military officer, had been recruited by another retired Taiwanese officer named Wang Tsung-wu (王宗武), who had been recruiting spies for China and helping identify Taiwanese spies in that country.
According to prosecutors at the time, Lin and Wang were former Military Intelligence Bureau officers. Wang worked undercover for Taiwan’s government in China for four or five years, but switched allegiance and was recruited by the Chinese in 2013.
The two men told investigators they gave information about Taiwanese operatives to China, took cash payments and were treated to overseas trips.
In 2017, Wang was found guilty of spying and sentenced to 18 years in prison for espionage, while Lin received six years.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
BACK TO WINTER: A strong continental cold air mass would move south on Tuesday next week, bringing colder temperatures to northern and central Taiwan A tropical depression east of the Philippines could soon be upgraded to be the first tropical storm of this year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the next cold air mass is forecast to arrive on Monday next week. CWA forecaster Cheng Jie-ren (鄭傑仁) said the first tropical depression of this year is over waters east of the Philippines, about 1,867km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), and could strengthen into Tropical Storm Nokaen by early today. The system is moving slowly from northwest to north, and is expected to remain east of the Philippines with little chance of affecting Taiwan,
RSS