Former coast guardsman indicted for alleged espionage for China

Kaohsiung, June 25 (CNA) A former coast guardsman was indicted on Wednesday for allegedly collecting and handing over sensitive military information to China in exchange for money over a two-year period, before resigning his post in 2024, prosecutors in Kaohsiung said.

The former coast guardsman, surnamed Lee (李), was working at the Kaohsiung-based Southern Sector Flotilla when he was allegedly recruited by Chinese intelligence in September 2022, the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office's Kaohsiung Branch said in a statement.

Through a contact known as "Tony," Lee gathered and delivered information about Coast Guard vessels operating in waters between Taiwan and the Philippines, graphics indicating warning zones set up for missile launches and other military intelligence, the office said.

In return, Lee was said to have received NT$60,000 (US$2,041.34) every three months and year-end bonuses, said the prosecutors, who began working on the case after receiving a tip-off from the military police.

The prosecutors carried out searches at four locations on Sept. 10 and Sept. 15 last year, and Lee was brought in for questioning and detained, the office said.

The charges Lee faces include handing over confidential government documents and electronic records to foreign forces, namely the Chinese mainland, and violations of the National Security Act, the office said.

What Lee allegedly did also violated Article 32 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act and the Anti-Corruption Act, and constituted treason under the Criminal Code, the prosecutors said.

According to local media reports, Lee quit his job after learning that he was being investigated. It was also reported that he admitted to the allegations and has been released on bail by the Taiwan High Court's Kaohsiung Branch, which will handle the trial.

Meanwhile, the Taiwan High Court in Taipei sentenced on Wednesday a former Navy 1st class petty officer surnamed (陳) to two years and two months in prison after finding him guilty of handing confidential military electronic records to someone online.

Chen became acquainted with a Mr. Chang (張), who claimed to be a sales manager offering loans at low interest rates in an online chat group via Line app in 2022, the high court said in a press statement.

The court ruled that Chen violated Article 20 of the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces by photocopying confidential military documents, which he later photographed and sent to Chang in February 2023.

The judges handed down a prison term shorter than the minimum three years stipulated for the crime, because Chen confessed and relinquished NT$80,000 he received from Chang, the high court said.

The court also cleared Chen of a bribery charge brought for NT$90,000 he allegedly received after sending photos of confidential information to Chang in April, June and October 2022, citing lack of evidence.

The verdict can be appealed.