《TAIPEI TIMES》 More May Chin's aides implicated as Chinese espionage case broadened

A man surnamed Chou is escorted into the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning yesterday. Police arrested Chou on suspicion of providing a getaway vehicle for fugitive Chang Chun-chieh, a former aide to Legislator May Chin. Photo: CNA

By Liu Yung-yun and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Two aides at independent Legislator May Chin’s （高金素梅） office were ordered detained incommunicado yesterday in a broadening probe into alleged Chinese espionage by Chin’s former chief of staff, Chang Chun-chieh （張俊傑）.

The move to hold Lin I-chun （林怡君） and current chief of staff Chen Chih-huang （陳智葟） in custody came four days after Chang, indicted on corruption charges, cut off his electronic monitoring wristband and jumped bail.

The High Prosecutors’ Office said that it believes Chang had developed a Chinese spy ring, which might have operated for more than a decade, with funding from China, and that Lin and Chen were suspected of being involved.

The High Court approved prosecutors’ application to detain Lin and Chen with communications restrictions to prevent collusion, evidence tampering and flight, it said.

Investigators believe that Chang has been recruiting and organizing Chinese agents in Taiwan, and are examining the sources and destinations of funding, the office said.

Prosecutors have not determined whether Chin was complicit in spying, or knew of Chang’s role in funneling illicit funds from China, it added.

Chang allegedly had personal relationships with pro-unification and indigenous groups that had dealings with China’s Taiwan Affairs Office （TAO） and National Ethnic Affairs Commission before becoming Chin’s chief of staff in 2002, the Chinese-language Liberty Times （the Taipei Times’ sister paper） reported.

At Chin’s office, Chang was considered the person in charge of China affairs and a core member of the lawmaker’s inner circle, it said.

Chang accompanied Chin on her many visits to China, which allowed him to opportunities to contact officials linked to the TAO and commission, it said.

In 2009, Chin visited then-Chinese president Hu Jintao （胡錦濤） in Beijing to raise funds for victims of Typhoon Morakot, obtaining 20 million yuan （US$2.98 million）, it said.

Chang was also intimately involved with Chin’s founding of the Taiwan Indigenous Peoples’ Multi-Ethnic Cultural Exchange Association, an organization that engaged in unofficial cross-strait interactions, it said.

Separately, Lin and Chen have also been named codefendants in an ongoing trial over Chin’s alleged embezzlement of NT$545,917 （US$17,304） from public funds allotted for legislative aides’ salaries.

The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office in June indicted Chin and 23 people connected to her office on charges linked to alleged embezzlement, forgery, money laundering and illegal imports of COVID-19 rapid test kits from China.

Chang and Chen were among the indicted defendants.

Staffers in Chin’s office were allegedly directed to create records of non-existent aides for Chin to benefit from their payrolls, the office said in the indictment.

Prosecutors also accused Chen of defrauding the national labor insurance of NT$158,040 by falsely claiming unpaid parental leave when he was still working and receiving compensation.

Chen has confessed to that part of the charges, the office said.

Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of more than 16 years for Chang, who was granted bail at NT$10 million before absconding.