Taipei, Aug. 18 (CNA) Two men accused of accepting money from the Chinese state security services in exchange for setting up an espionage ring in Taiwan were indicted on corruption and national security charges Friday, according to the Shilin District Prosecutors Office.
In a statement, prosecutors said that businessman Hu Chi-yao (???) and former Army Staff Sergeant Chen Min-cheng (???), who retired in 2018, worked in concert with members of the People’s Armed Police to recruit serving members of Taiwan’s armed forces to spy for China.
According to prosecutors, Chen established contact with the People’s Armed Police, a paramilitary organization responsible for internal security, while setting up a business in China.
The People’s Armed Police then instructed Chen to recruit Hu, vice president of the Taipei Special Amusement Activities Workers Union, an organization representing nightclubs, hostess bars and other adult entertainment businesses.
Prosecutors allege Hu used his contacts within Taiwan’s military to arrange a meeting with a major general of the Army’s Kinmen Defense Command, identified by his last name Liu (?).
While meeting with Liu, Hu and Chen took a picture with the major general and sent it to their Chinese handlers as proof of their ties to high-ranking Taiwanese military personnel, prosecutors said.
In November 2019, Chen and Hu attempted to convince an Army officer surnamed Lin (?), then a major with the Penghu Defense Command, to give away classified military intelligence to China in exchange for money, prosecutors added.
According to prosecutors, Lin refused and instead provided nonvital information such as the military’s “physical examination standards,” which he downloaded from the internet to get Chen and Hu off his back.
Meanwhile, between September 2019 and April 2022, Chen tried luring a Taiwanese businessman working in Vietnam to work for the Chinese, but that attempt also failed.
Despite their recruitment failures, Chen and Hu violated corruption and national security laws by accepting hundreds of thousands of Taiwan dollars from Chinese state security services, prosecutors said.
According to prosecutors, Chen and Hu’s alleged illicit gains have been seized by the authorities.
