Three ex-military personnel indicted on spying charges

The Kaohsiung branch of the High Prosecutors Office yesterday indicted three former military personnel for allegedly collecting military secrets for China since 2020.

The three were identified by their surnames Chen (陳), Lu (盧) and Mao (毛).

They were charged with violations of the National Security Act (國家安全法), Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例) and Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), as well as the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces, prosecutors said in a statement.

The entrance to the Kaohsiung branch of the High Court is pictured in an undated photograph.

Photo: Pao Chien-hsin, Taipei Times

Chen, who had retired from the air force, allegedly began receiving instructions and funding from officials at an intelligence agency under a provincial committee of the Chinese Communist Party in late 2020, prosecutors said.

Chen allegedly obtained confidential military information, including tank specifications and details of the Han Kuang military exercises, from Lu, who was still serving in the army at the time, they said.

In 2024, Chen allegedly traveled to Zhuhai, China, with Mao, who had also retired from the military, to attend a banquet with Chinese intelligence officials with whom Chen had been in contact.

Prosecutors said Chen sought to establish an organization for China.

During the banquet, Chen allegedly persuaded Mao to contact serving military personnel and collect confidential military information from them, they said.

In June, the Kaohsiung Military Police, Tainan Military Police, Pingtung County Police Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Corps and the Ministry of National Defense’s Political Warfare Bureau reported the case to the High Prosecutors’ Office, which took charge of the investigation, prosecutors said.

The investigation concluded yesterday after prosecutors collected evidence, conducted digital forensics, examined and verified statements from witnesses and defendants, and reviewed financial transaction records, they said.