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4 detained in espionage case involving retired Air Force captain

ROC Central News Agency

01/04/2023 11:12 PM

Taipei, Jan. 4 (CNA) A retired Air Force captain and three active military officers in the Air Force and Navy were detained in Kaohsiung on Wednesday on suspicion of spying for communist China, while three other active officers in the military were released on bail.

Prosecutors and investigators with the Investigation Bureau had been collecting evidence of their alleged involvement in spying, and they brought the seven individuals in for questioning on Tuesday to the Kaohsiung Branch of the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office.

After the questioning, the prosecutors in charge of the case filed a motion to detain the retired caption, surnamed Liu (劉), a commander surnamed Sun (孫), and two lieutenant commanders identified by their surnames Liu and Kung (龔).

The three other active lieutenant commanders were freed on NT$100,000 (US$3,260) to NT$200,000 bail.

The investigation into the case remains ongoing, as investigators continue to look into whether more military officers were involved.

According to the investigation's findings to date, Liu began doing business in China after retiring from the Air Force in 2013.

He was then recruited by the Chinese side to serve as a spy and, using his personnel connections in the military, help recruit active military officers in the Navy and Air Force to join in the spying activities, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors believe Liu recruited at least six officers into his spy ring and received "rewards" of between NT$200,000 and NT$700,000 from the Chinese side through a shell company he set up for each individual brought into the fold.

In a statement, the Ministry of National Defense said the case was exposed by some military personnel who offered tip-offs and took the initiative to investigate the espionage allegations.

As the case has entered the judiciary phase, the ministry will cooperate with prosecutors during their investigation and will not make any comments on the case, it said.

(By Hung Hsueh-kuan, Matt Yu, Elizabeth Hsu)

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