The Supreme Court today upheld the jail sentences of four former servicemen who had been found guilty of passing information to Chinese intelligence in exchange for bribes totaling NT$1.84 million (US$58,698).
In the final verdict, Lai Chung-yu (賴重宇) was sentenced to seven years in prison, while Li Yu-erh (黎育爾) received six years and seven months, Chen Wen-hao (陳文豪) six years and five months, and Lin Yu-kai (林裕凱) five years and 10 months.
Lai, Li and Lin were members of the 211th Military Police Battalion, which guards the Presidential Office, while Chen served in the Ministry of National Defense’s Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command.
Photo: Wang Ting-chuan, Taipei Times
The four men betrayed the nation after years of training and service in highly sensitive roles by being bribed by Chinese intelligence and leaking internal information from the Presidential Office and the military, endangering national security, the Supreme Court said in its verdict.
Lai and Chen began passing information to Chinese intelligence in exchange for money while still serving in the military in April 2022, the indictment said.
They were allegedly recruited and paid by a Taiwanese man surnamed Huang (黃), who remains at large.
Initially, Chen photographed the documents, which Lai then relayed to Huang or a Chinese operative, the indictment said.
Lai later began taking the photographs himself, but was caught and reassigned, it said.
Following Lai’s transfer, he recruited Li to continue photographing documents, it said, adding that Li passed the task on to Lin before retiring in February last year.
Prosecutors said they estimated that Lai received NT$460,000, Chen NT$450,000, Li NT$664,100 and Lin NT$265,900.
All illegal proceeds were confiscated, and all four men confessed during the investigation and trial.
The High Court in August sentenced them to prison terms ranging from five years and 10 months to seven years for bribery in breach of duty and leaking confidential government documents under the National Security Act (國家安全法).
The Supreme Court upheld the verdicts, and its ruling cannot be appealed.
Lin withdrew his appeal during Supreme Court proceedings and has already been transferred to prison to begin serving his term. Lai, Li and Chen remain in custody and are expected to be moved to prison soon.
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