The Supreme Court yesterday rejected appeals and finalized the prison sentences for three Taiwanese affiliated with the China Unification Promotion Party (CUPP), for recruiting active and retired military personnel to spy on behalf of China.
The Kaohsiung branch of the High Court first tried the three in March, sentencing CUPP deputy secretary-general Wen Lung (溫瓏) to 10 months in prison, and retired military officers Chiang Chiung-lin (江瓊麟) and Chu Hsin-yu (朱新瑜) to one year in jail and six months respectively.
They were found guilty of contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法), which prohibits Taiwanese from developing organizations for China, prosecution documents showed.
Photo: David Chang, EPA-EFE
Chu was also fined NT$50,000. His jail sentence can be converted to a daily fine of NT$1,000 or community service, the ruling showed.
In 2016, Wen began a technology and crop import business in China, where he was recruited by Chinese operatives to develop espionage networks of active and retired Taiwanese military personnel, prosecutors told the High Court.
He was initially recruited by officers from China's Taiwan Affairs Office branch in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, and the Chinese Political Work Department Liaison Bureau, the court said.
Wen invited Chu, who served in the navy, to China in 2016, followed by Chiang, who served in the air force, to the 2018 Zhuhai Airshow, it said.
The two agreed to join the espionage network, though another officer surnamed Pu (朴) rejected the offer, the court said.
Chiang was caught in 2019 trying to recruit an officer, surnamed Chang (張), from the air force’s Songshan Base Command in Taipei, who rejected the offer of professional opportunities and financial rewards and reported the incident, prosecutors said.
Wen and Chu admitted to the charges, qualifying for reduced sentences, but Chiang denied wrongdoing and said that he had only invited Chang to join the CUPP, the court said.
Chiang’s defense was rejected based on evidence including wiretap transcripts and witness testimony, but he qualified for a reduced sentence as his offense was considered “attempted,” it said.
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