Retired man sentenced to 15 years after leaking top-secret information to get his child a visa
Global Times
By Global Times Published: Nov 09, 2025 10:35 AM
A retired man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for voluntarily contacting a foreign agency to sell top-secret and confidential state information in order to facilitate his child's overseas study, the Ministry of State Security (MSS) revealed on Sunday.
Cheng, a retired employee of a classified unit, voluntarily contacted the foreign agency to secure a student visa for his child and repeatedly provided top-secret and confidential state information.
After the case was uncovered, Cheng was sentenced to 15 years in prison and deprived of his political rights for five years for committing espionage, according to the MSS.
The MSS also noted that some retired employees from classified units view keeping classified materials as "no big deal" or "a career memento," not realizing that they have already crossed a legal red line. In one disciplinary and legal investigation, a retired employee from a classified unit was found to have retained classified materials privately; those materials became evidence of unlawful conduct.
Another case released by the MSS revealed that a retired and re-hired employee from a classified unit violated regulations by taking home a portable hard drive containing classified documents and connecting it to a personal computer.
As a result, multiple classified files were stolen by foreign espionage and intelligence agencies. Following the incident, all responsible individuals were dealt with seriously in accordance with laws and regulations.
The MSS reminded retired personnel that the obligation to safeguard state secrets lasts a lifetime. Before retiring, they must return or destroy all classified documents and devices in their possession. Retaining classified materials under the pretext of a "souvenir" or for "organizational purposes" is a violation of the law.
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