Man jailed for attempted bribery in bid to get information for China

Taipei, Jan. 20 (CNA) A former employee of a Taiwanese airline was sentenced to six months in prison for attempting to bribe a Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) official to obtain classified information on behalf of Chinese intelligence, the Taiwan High Court ruled Tuesday.

The high court ruled that the man, surnamed Chiao (喬), was guilty of attempted bribery under the Anti-Corruption Act and sentenced him to six months in prison and ordered the confiscation of illicit gains totaling Chinese yuan 30,000 (about NT$136,339).

Chiao declined to comment when approached by reporters after the ruling, saying only that he respected the court's decision.

The verdict can be appealed.

The case was first made public by the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office in mid-October 2025.

They alleged that Chiao, while serving as an airline representative in China from 2012 to 2014, sought to collect confidential information on government-commissioned research projects from a MAC official on behalf of Chinese intelligence.

The prosecutors office said Chiao attempted, at that time, to deliver NT$100,000 in cash as a reward on behalf of Chinese intelligence, but the official refused and the attempt thus failed.

Apart from the bribery charge under the Anti-Corruption Act, Chiao was indicted under the National Security Act for attempting to "probe for and collect documents classified as confidential for official use" and to develop an organization for Chinese authorities, according to the office.

The high court also found Chiao guilty of that charge, but because the bribery and national security offenses were concurrent, the court issued its sentence based on the sentence for the more serious offense, which was the bribery offense.

Local media, including the Liberty Times and United Daily News, reported last October that Chiao is a former EVA Air employee and that he allegedly offered cash and overseas trips to people he approached.

The outlets also said the MAC research dealt with cross-strait flights or defense-related topics.

In response to the verdict, the MAC said many of its research projects involve classified information and are frequently targeted by people seeking to obtain such material.