Taipei prosecutors today indicted four former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members for espionage, seeking a heavy 18-and-a-half-year sentence for former councilor assistant Huang Chu-jing (黃取榮).
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office has been investigating allegations that four DPP members and staffers — including Huang, a former assistant to New Taipei City Councilor Lee Yu-tien (李余典) — had engaged in spy networks and leaked sensitive information to Chinese intelligence agents.
The office also indicted Ho Jen-chieh (何仁傑), a former assistant to then-minister of foreign affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮); Chiu Shih-yuan (邱世元), the former deputy director of the DPP’s Taiwan Foundation for Democracy’ and former Presidential Office consultant Wu Shang-yu (吳尚雨).
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
The four were indicted for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) by providing government secrets to China, leaking and relaying sensitive information under the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法) and money laundering under the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法).
Prosecutors are seeking a minimum sentence of nine years for Ho, a combined eight years for Chiu and at least five years for Wu.
They requested a heavier sentencing for Huang of 18 years, six months, to include a minimum of nine years and eight years on two counts of leaking classified information, plus one-and-a-half years for money laundering.
The cases are to be transferred to the Taipei District Court.
Meanwhile, the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office also indicted Huang today under the National Security Act for his alleged role in establishing extensive espionage networks.
The case is to be tried in the Taiwan High Court.
Investigators believe that Huang was recruited by Chinese intelligence agents while conducting business in China in 2017.
He then allegedly recruited Chiu to the operation, with Huang and Chiu allegedly earning NT$6.08 million (US$203,107) and NT$2.22 million respectively as compensation, prosecutors said.
Huang and Chiu allegedly approached Wu Shang-yu and Ho to assist in leaking classified information about the president and vice president’s visits to diplomatic nations, they said.
On Feb. 18, prosecutors searched the offices and residences of Huang and Chiu, detaining both and holding them incommunicado the following day.
Later that month, Wu Shang-yu was dismissed from his post, while prosecutors brought him in for questioning and searched his office and residence before detaining him incommunicado on Feb. 24.
Ho was then also detained and held incommunicado on April 12 following a search operation.
Sheng Chu-ying (盛礎纓) — a former assistant to several DPP lawmakers, including former legislative speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) — is also suspected of leaking classified information to Chinese intelligence agents in exchange for cash and cryptocurrency.
The case is to be handled separately.
Sheng was questioned by prosecutors in April and released on bail of NT$200,000 with electronic monitoring.
All five were expelled from the DPP last month.
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