Ex-assistant of foreign minister detained as spying cases in DPP expand

Taipei, April 12 (CNA) A former assistant serving under the Secretary-General of the National Security Council Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) during his tenure as Taiwan's top diplomat has been detained in connection with an espionage case.

Prosecutors in Taipei brought in the former assistant, Ho Jen-chieh (何仁傑), for questioning after conducting a search of his residence on Thursday, and a court granted their request to place Ho under detention later that day.

Wu's office has declined to comment on the case, saying only Ho resigned from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in March 2024, about two months before Wu was succeeded by Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) as foreign minister and assumed the role of NSC chief in May.

The office said that any individuals "engaged in activities betraying the country … should receive the severest punishment," adding it supported the judicial authorities in handling such cases impartially regardless of party affiliation or personal background and in accordance with the law.

Ho's arrest adds to a growing list of individuals suspected of spying for Chinese intelligence services while working for senior officials in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government, which has been in power since 2016.

Other suspects in the case include Wu Shang-yu (吳尚雨), who worked as an adviser in President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) office; Chiu Shih-yuan (邱世元), former deputy head of the DPP's Taiwan Institute of Democracy, and Huang Chu-jung (黃取榮), assistant to DPP New Taipei Councilor Lee Yu-tien (李余典).

According to the prosecutors, Huang was likely to have been recruited by Beijing's intelligence services when he was doing business in China, and, after returning to Taiwan, he started working with Ho, Wu Shang-yu and Chiu to gather confidential information about Lai and other top officials.

In particular, the prosecutors said Wu had leaked information regarding Lai's visit to Paraguay in August 2023, when he was the vice president under former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).

The leaked information allegedly included Lai's flight schedules, accommodation, and meeting locations and lists.

Prosecutors, however, did not disclose what confidential information had been compromised by Ho and Chiu.

After giving such information to the Chinese intelligence services through Huang, the other three, namely Ho, Wu and Chiu, received tens of thousands of NT dollars in return, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors claimed it expanded their probe into the case after they were able to trace money flows between Huang and the others in February, and subsequently Huang, Wu and Chiu were detained following interrogations.

However, the prosecutors did not provide more details about the relations between Huang and the other three other than that they had all worked in the DPP for some time.

Neither did the prosecutors disclose further information about the Chinese intelligence services and their ties with Huang.

The DPP has expelled Wu from the party while removing Chiu and Huang from the membership list, citing their having "caused serious threats to national security" and "significantly tainted the party's reputation."

A separate espionage case involved a former assistant to then-Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) of the DPP, Sheng Chu-ying (盛礎纓).

Sheng, who began working for You in April 2022 but stayed for less than a year, has allegedly provided confidential information from the Legislature to the Chinese intelligence services and received payment through both cash and virtual currency.

Sheng was released on bail of NT$200,000 (US$6,188) in late March on the condition that he wear an electronic tag.