5 suspects detained over alleged espionage for China
ROC Central News Agency
07/20/2023 08:17 PM
Taipei, July 20 (CNA) A total of five people, including a diabolo instructor Lu Chi-hsien (魯紀賢), were detained and held incommunicado Thursday on suspicion of recruiting military officers to collect military intelligence for China.
Lu, the leader of the group, was allegedly recruited by a Chinese intelligence agency in April last year, and upon returning to Taiwan began attempting to recruit active and retired military personnel with the objective of developing a spy network to obtain military related intelligence, Taipei District Prosecutors Office said.
Working with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and New Taipei police, prosecutors said searches were conducted Wednesday across 25 locations, six of which were at military facilities, during which several suspects were questioned and other witnesses interviewed.
The suspects, including Lu, are being investigated on suspicion of violating the National Security Act, the office said.
In order to prevent Lu and the four suspects, who are all retired military personnel, from fleeing the country, destroying evidence or colluding with others to tamper with evidence, prosecutors filed a motion to have them detained incommunicado amid the ongoing investigation, a request which was approved by the Taipei District Court Thursday afternoon.
According to prosecutors, Lu was previously indicted for fraud in 2020 after posing as an executive of the Republic of China Diabolo Federation to defraud sponsors out of NT$6 million (US$193,223) under the guise of "attending international diabolo competitions."
In March this year, the Supreme Court found him guilty of the charges but he never showed up to serve his sentence and went into hiding.
On Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said the probe was launched after it received reports about espionage operation involving Lu from members of the armed forces.
However, the MND did not provide further details except to say the investigation is ongoing.
(By Lin Chang-hsun, Matt Yu and Ko Lin)
Enditem/AW
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