2 military officers get jail time for faking intelligence to claim bonuses

Taipei, Feb. 29 (CNA) Two military officers were sentenced on Thursday to six and seven years in prison after they were found guilty of making up intelligence to claim performance bonuses totaling over NT$10 million (US$316,147).

The guilty verdict was handed to two officers from the Military Intelligence Bureau, a female colonel surnamed Su (蘇) and a male lieutenant colonel with the same last name, the Shilin District Court said.

The court sentenced the woman to seven years in prison and deprivation of civil rights for six years, while the man was sentenced to six years in prison and deprivation of civil rights for five years.

Both were indicted on charges of corruption, forgery, and money laundering by the Shilin District Prosecutors Office in November 2023.

The two officers received the performance bonuses after they began providing fabricated intelligence in April 2018 that was supposedly obtained from "Liang Fang" (梁方), a fictitious Chinese intelligence officer, according to an indictment document.

In June last year, raids were carried out at the suspects' locations during which cellphones and bank records were seized.

A total of NT$10.99 million in reward money stolen through the scheme has been returned, according to the court.

The verdict, however, can still be appealed.