Ex-legislative aide indicted in spy case

Taipei, April 2 (CNA) Former legislative assistant Chu Cheng-chi (朱政騏), who recently won a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) primary for a Taipei city council seat, was indicted Thursday on charges of spying for China.

According to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office, Chu allegedly used his access to legislative offices while working as an aide to former Legislator Ho Chih-wei (何志偉) and Taipei City Councilor Chung Pei-ling (鍾佩玲) to obtain and transmit confidential documents in August 2022.

Prosecutors said he received 20,000 yuan (US$2,905) in return.

In July 2022, Chu allegedly received an iPhone 13 Pro from Hu Peng-nien (胡鵬年), a retired Executive Yuan official linked to a separate espionage case, and used it to communicate with contacts in China.

On Aug. 23 and 24, he allegedly entered legislative offices in his role as an aide and accessed documents classified as "confidential," and later photographed and transmitted them to a Chinese contact surnamed Wang (王) in exchange for payment.

Prosecutors charged Chu with violating the National Security Act and sought confiscation of his alleged illicit gains.

They are seeking a prison sentence of at least five years for Chu.

Chu, a former executive director of the DPP's Taipei branch, denied wrongdoing, saying he had not leaked state secrets, harmed Taiwan's interests, or received illegal gains.

He said he had fully cooperated with investigators and would continue to do so, expressing confidence in a fair trial

The case stems from a broader probe into an alleged Chinese espionage network involving businessman Cheng Ming-chia (鄭明嘉) and Hu. Both were indicted in January for allegedly recruiting military personnel and young political figures for China's United Front Work Department, with prosecutors seeking a sentence of at least 10 years for Cheng.