Naval officer indicted for selling missile manuals to Chinese agent

Taichung, Oct. 12 (CNA) The Taichung District Prosecutors Office has indicted a naval officer on corruption charges after he allegedly sold sensitive but unclassified operational manuals for Taiwan's domestically developed Hsiung Feng II (HF-2) anti-ship missiles to a Chinese intelligence agent.

In an indictment released to the press on Oct. 7, the office said it formally filed charges on Sept. 25 against the officer surnamed Tsai (蔡), who served in the Navy's Hai Feng Brigade -- the service's land-based anti-ship missile unit -- in violation of the Anti-Corruption Act.

Formal charges were also brought against a dishonorably discharged former Hai Feng Brigade officer surnamed Lin (林) for violating the National Security Act, after he was found to have bribed Tsai for providing military information, the indictment stated.

Lin, who was dishonorably discharged after the military discovered his involvement in gambling, began communicating in 2023 via a social media application with a Chinese woman suspected of being an intelligence officer with the Chinese People's Armed Police Force, according to the indictment.

Despite knowing the woman's true identity, Lin introduced his former comrade Tsai to her. After their acquaintance, the woman, known by the pseudonym Chu Ting (楚亭), promised Tsai payment based on the value of the military information he provided.

Prosecutors said that although Tsai, as a military serviceman, was fully aware that regulations prohibit the unauthorized disclosure of personnel data, he was lured by money.

In May 2023, Tsai filled out his personal data, military unit, and job position on a basic information sheet and questionnaire provided by the other party, and sent them through Lin to Chu Ting, in return for a bribe of NT$8,000 (US$260).

In the same month, Tsai also used his mobile phone to photograph the Field Deployment and Operations Manual for the Hsiung Feng II missile launcher and the missile vehicle operation manual, and sent them to Chu Ting.

After determining that the materials contained valuable military intelligence, Chu Ting paid Tsai an additional NT$30,000, prosecutors said.

Although the indictment did not specify when Taiwan's authorities discovered the entire operation, it noted that Tsai's actions violated provisions in the Constitution, the National Defense Act, and the Military Service Act that require "loyalty to the Republic of China (Taiwan)" and "military confidentiality."

Tsai accepted bribes in breach of his official duties, the indictment added.

Prosecutors said that Tsai, having been trained by the armed forces and assigned to operate Taiwan's domestically produced missiles to defend the nation's waters, served in one of the military's most sensitive and important units.

He nevertheless unlawfully disclosed personal military assessment data and photographed military weapon operational information that is not publicly available.

Although the content was not classified, it still posed a threat to national security and the morale of the armed forces, undermining both official ethics and military virtue, prosecutors said.