Former soldiers are obligated to remain loyal to the country after their service, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said today, declining to make further comment following reports that prosecutors had indicted seven former military personnel for espionage.
Koo made the statement to reporters prior to a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign and National Defense Committee, which invited him to speak regarding the ministry’s budget for the upcoming year.
The Chinese-language Mirror Media reported earlier today that retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義) and six other former military personnel were accused of selling state secrets to China at the end of last year.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
The magazine reported that Chu, who served as chairman of a minor political party called the Rehabilitation Alliance, has long received financial support from China.
He allegedly recruited others with military backgrounds to establish a team to help China learn about state secrets, leading to the Taichung branch of the High Prosecutors’ Office charging him and six others with contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) at the end of last year, it said.
Koo told reporters that no active-duty personnel were involved in the case.
As it is an active investigation, the Ministry of National Defense cannot comment on any specifics, Koo added.
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