The Supreme Court on Thursday finalized a ruling sentencing a father-son duo to eight years in prison each for espionage.
The court upheld a previous High Court ruling convicting Huang Lung-lung (黃龍瀧) and his son, Huang Sheng-yu (黃聖峪), for contravening National Security Act (國家安全法) provisions by funding and developing an organization for China and collecting confidential documents in exchange for monetary rewards.
Two air force members, Su Kuan-ying (蘇冠穎) and Yeh Hsin-liang (葉鑫亮), were also found guilty of agreeing to work in the spy network.
Photo: Reuters
Judges upheld a seven-year sentence for Su and a six-year term for Yeh.
Su and Yeh were convicted for contravening Article 20 of the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍刑法), which prohibits military personnel from disclosing or delivering documents, information or records of a secret nature concerning the nation’s defense. They were also convicted of taking bribes in contravention of the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例).
The verdict is final and cannot be appealed.
“The Huang father and son were oblivious to the needs for safeguarding national security, and recruited military personnel to develop an organization for the enemy force... They collaborated with Chinese intelligence officials to obtain high-level confidential military material in exchange for monetary rewards,” the court said.
“Their spying lasted for about five years, resulting in serious harm to national security. Therefore, the Huangs are to be sentenced to eight years,” it said.
Investigators found the Huangs, originally based in Tainan, started doing business in China’s Fujian Province in April 2015, where they were approached by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) Fujian branch office member Zhong Dongsheng (鍾東生) — who is also a Chinese intelligence officer — and TAO Guangzhou office member Zhang Xiaofeng (張曉楓) in 2019, the court said in its verdict.
Zhong and Zhang persuaded the Huangs to recruit Taiwanese military members willing to acquire military secrets, promising cash rewards.
From March 2017 to August 2021, they approached the younger Huang’s former sports teammates and classmates, air force personnel Yeh and Su, to obtain military materials, while two others, surnamed Chin (金) and Hsieh (謝), refused to join the spy network.
Investigators found China had channeled money to the Huangs to fund the network, which collected information on the annual Han Kuang exercise, took photos inside military bases, and reported officer names, identification numbers and unit information.
During High Court trials, judges ordered the money provided by Chinese handlers to be confiscated — NT$1.26 million (US$39,449) for Huang Sheng-yu, NT$456,000 given to the elder Huang, of which NT$210,000 the Huangs gave Su in rewards and NT$100,000 they handed to Yeh.
Additional reporting by Jake Chung
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and