Former Navy serviceman sentenced for leaking military information

Taipei, Aug. 7 (CNA) The Taichung District Court has sentenced a former Navy serviceman surnamed Tsai (蔡) to two years and seven months in prison for corruption after leaking classified military information to a Chinese intelligence contact for financial gains.

The ruling, handed down Thursday, also stripped Tsai of his civil rights for 18 months. The decision can be appealed.

According to the indictment, the case began in 2023 when Tsai's former Navy colleague, surnamed Lin (林), met a woman who used the aliases "Chu Ting" and "Ti Ying" through a dating app.

Posing as a Hong Kong-based reporter for The Epoch Times, the woman was in reality an intelligence officer affiliated with China's People's Armed Police Force stationed in Shanxi Province, prosecutors said.

The indictment did not specify whether Lin knew she was working for Chinese intelligence, but it said he was aware that she was affiliated with China or another foreign entity.

Despite this, he introduced Tsai to her and asked him to provide military-related information for financial rewards.

At the time, Lin allegedly promised him that the more sensitive the material, the higher the payment would be after being reviewed by Chu Ting, prosecutors said.

They alleged that despite knowing that military personnel were prohibited from disclosing such information without authorization, Tsai was lured by money.

He provided his personal information, military unit and position details on forms and questionnaires supplied by the woman, and later sent the materials to her through Lin and received a payment of NT$8,000 (US$247).

Later that month, Tsai used his cellphone to photograph the operation manual and other related documents for a Hsiung Feng II missile launcher vehicle and sent the materials to Chu Ting.

After she determined that the materials had military intelligence value, Tsai received another NT$30,000 payment.

The Taichung District Prosecutors Office indicted Tsai in October 2025 on charges of accepting bribes in breach of his official duties.

Meanwhile, Lin is being investigated separately, prosecutors said.