The high court in Taiwan has convicted eight people, including active-duty and retired military personnel, of collecting state secrets on China’s behalf, the official Central News Agency has reported.
Sentences range from 18 months to 13 years in prison, in one of the largest espionage cases in years.
The Ministry of Justice’s investigation said in a statement that persons had been recruited by the Chinese Communist Party to collect secrets, including military intelligence, and Beijing used virtual currency to make payments, according to Bloomberg.
Some defendants denied part or all the charges.
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The suspects had planned to fly a CH-47 Chinook military helicopter to China, as they shot a movie which indicated they would surrender to Beijing in the event of a war, as per CNA.
An individual named Chen Yuxin contacted a serving officer called Hsiao and told him to recruit colleagues to form a spy ring. One retired officer and two active colleagues then joined the group.
The four then passed confidential information to China and earned payments ranging from NT$600,000 (USD $18,770) to NT$700,000 (USD$21,333).
Chen Yuxin, who was wanted separately, was found to have fled to the mainland because of the case and to obtain Taiwan military intelligence, according to CNA. He is yet to appear in court and is suspected of staying in the mainland. He is wanted by the high court.
The ruling revealed that Xiao Xiangyun had delivered military secrets and some military state secrets. He has also accepted and paid bribes and committed two crimes of transferring secret documents in military affairs. He was sentenced to 9 years imprisonment, as per the CNA.
The judgement noted that Xie Bingcheng handed over military state secrets. He was sentenced to 6 years in prison for organizing a mainland regional development under National Security Law. He also committed a total of 3 crimes of bribery under Corruption Punishment Regulation, as per CNA.
Liu Liqi was sentenced to a year and six months in prison for the crime of spying on military secrets under the Criminal Law of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Wu Zhipeng was charged with accepting bribes under Corruption Ordinance but was found not guilty.
Prison terms ranged from 18 months to nine years, and the sentences are eligible for appeal.
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China claims Taiwan as part of its territory. Tensions between the two countries have intensified since the election of the China-sceptic President Lai Ching-te, who is a member of Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party.
Newsweek has reached out to a spokesperson from China’s U.S. embassy via email for comment.
The U.S. is Taiwan’s biggest military backer and has long expressed concern about the island’s ability to protect secrets from Beijing.
Newsweek has reached out to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs via a form on its website for comment.
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