The Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday charged seven former or active-duty military officers in relation to allegations that they sold military secrets to China, the Central News Agency (CNA) reported.
Police on Tuesday detained the suspects following raids on their homes and offices. Hours later, prosecutors pressed charges in a court hearing in the early morning.
Four of the suspects are held in pretrial detention. They are a retired air force colonel surnamed Liu (劉), the alleged ringleader, and three field-grade active-duty military members serving in the air force or the navy — a lieutenant colonel surnamed Sun (孫), a major surnamed Kung (龔) and a major surnamed Liu (劉).
Photo: Huang Liang-chieh, Taipei Times
Additionally, three majors serving in the armed forces, including one in the army, were released on bail of between NT$100,000 and NT$200,000.
The CNA report cited an unnamed source as saying that the prosecutors did not seek pretrial detention for the three majors even though they are suspected of staying in contact with the alleged ringleader, but they had not yet agreed to provide him with information.
The report said that colonel Liu was allegedly recruited to spy on behalf of Beijing after retiring from the military.
He was allegedly recruited during a business trip to China in 2013, after which he developed a network of informants in Taiwan, recruiting them from among his professional contacts, it said, adding that he paid them NT$30,000 to NT$100,000 through shell corporations.
Among the information the ring provided to China were the distribution of armed forces in Taiwan and other sensitive information, it added.
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