KMT lawmaker Cheng Cheng-chien probed for alleged national security breach

Taipei, June 20 (CNA) Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmaker Cheng Cheng-chien (鄭正鈐), who represents Hsinchu City, is under investigation by the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office over allegations of leaking government information to Beijing, the office said Friday.

The prosecutors office said it accepted a complaint by Lin Chih-chieh (林志潔), the spokesperson of a campaign group calling for the recall of Cheng and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安), who accused Cheng of accepting Chinese funding for his election campaigns and leaking government information.

According to the criminal complaint filed by Lin, a former assistant in Cheng's office alleged that during his time as an elected representative, Cheng accepted funding from the Chinese Communist Party.

Lin also accused the 56-year-old Cheng of instructing the assistant to use his mobile phone to reply to messages from China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) and transmit official government documents to it, via the social media app WeChat, a Chinese instant messaging app.

The High Prosecutors Office said it has accepted Lin's complaint and is investigating the case under the team responsible for "major national security and social order threats."

In addition, Lin, 51, a member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and a legal scholar, filed a complaint with the Taipei District Prosecutors Office on Wednesday, accusing Cheng of violating the Political Donations Act, the National Security Act, and the Anti-Corruption Act.

The Taipei office has accepted the compliant and listed Cheng as a suspect, tasking its special anti-corruption team to investigate Lin's allegations against the lawmaker.

In response to the allegations, Cheng released a statement on Tuesday that he has never accepted funding from China in his political career, and never handed any confidential materials related to national security to the TAO.

Cheng said the ongoing recall campaign against him "has clearly fallen into disarray and is now resorting to smears and red-baiting," adding that anyone with real evidence is welcome to file charges.

In light of the "repeated false accusations," Cheng said he will pursue legal action and not show any leniency.