Taiwan: Father, son duo sentenced to 8 years for spying for China

A Tainan court handed down sentences to a father and his son, both involved in business ventures in China, each receiving eight years in prison for their involvement in espionage activities on behalf of Chinese intelligence, Central News Agency Taiwan (CNA) reported.

In its verdict, the Tainan branch of the Taiwan High Court declared the two men, identified by their surname Huang, guilty of orchestrating a spy network that recruited active-duty military personnel to gather intelligence for China.

During the trial, both individuals confessed to their wrongdoing, according to the Tainan branch court, according to Central News Agency Taiwan.

According to the prosecution’s case, the father and son, who had previously operated a business in Xiamen in 2015, were introduced to a Chinese intelligence officer who solicited their assistance in establishing a spy network in Taiwan. This network aimed to recruit Taiwanese military personnel to obtain classified military information.

The indictment revealed that the Huangs were enticed with financial incentives for their collaboration.

Subsequently, the Huangs enlisted the cooperation of two Air Force officers, identified as Yeh and Su, and arranged for them to meet with Chinese intelligence officials overseas after pledging allegiance to China.

The precise location of the meeting was not disclosed in the legal documents.

Together, the group acquired eight sensitive documents pertaining to Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang military exercises, either delivering them to China personally or transmitting them to Chinese officials through mobile messaging applications.

Prosecutors disclosed that the Huangs received a total sum of NTD 1.71 million (USD52,458) from Chinese authorities, while Yeh and Su were compensated with NTD 210,000 and NTD 1,00,000, respectively.

Additionally, on Tuesday, the Tainan branch court sentenced the two officers to seven and six years in prison for their involvement, finding them guilty of accepting bribes as public officials and imposing a five-year deprivation of civil rights.

The case remains subject to appeal, Central News Agency Taiwan reported.