A retired air force captain and six active air force and navy officers were indicted in Kaohsiung on Thursday on charges of spying for China.
All seven were charged with violating the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法) by the High Prosecutors’ Office in Kaohsiung.
Prosecutors and investigators launched a probe in January, detaining a retired air force captain and three active military officers on Jan. 4, while three other active lieutenant commanders were released on bail ranging from NT$100,000 to NT$200,000.
Photo: Pao Chien-hsin, Taipei Times
The detainees included a retired captain surnamed Liu (劉), who is at the center of the investigation, an active commander surnamed Sun (孫), and two lieutenant commanders surnamed Liu (劉) and Kung (龔) respectively.
Following their indictment on Thursday, the court ordered the four individuals to be held incommunicado starting on Friday.
The three others involved in the case remain on bail.
The retired Liu began conducting business in China after leaving the air force in 2013, the investigation found.
He was recruited by China to serve as a spy and, using his military connections, recruit active military officers in the navy and air force to join the spying activities, prosecutors said.
The retired Liu recruited at least six officers into his spy ring and received “rewards” of NT$200,000 to NT$700,000 for each individual he brought into the fold, they said.
The money was channeled through a shell company, and he received bonuses of NT$30,000 to NT$100,000 if his benefactors were supplied with Taiwanese military information, they said.
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