Taipei: The Taiwan High Court has granted prosecutors' request to detain six retired and active Taiwanese military personnel along with a Chinese man, who have been indicted for allegedly leaking military secrets to China.
According to Focus Taiwan, the court's decision, announced on Tuesday night, can be appealed. The seven individuals face charges related to violations of the National Security Act, which prescribes a minimum sentence of five years in prison. Due to the severity of the alleged crimes and the risk of the accused fleeing, the court ordered their detention for a period of three months, the maximum duration permitted for defendants during a trial.
One of the defendants, Yang Chien-hui, confessed to all charges and was deemed unlikely to collude, thus will not be held incommunicado. The remaining six suspects will be detained without communication, as stated by the court.
Earlier the same day, the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office indicted the seven individuals for violating the National Security Act, the Classified National Security Information Protection Act, and the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces. Among the defendants is a Chinese man named Ding Xiaohu, or Ting Siu Fu in Cantonese, who possesses a Hong Kong passport. The military personnel involved are identified as Wang Wen-hao, Tan Chun-ming, Lu Fang-chi, Chiu Han-lin, Yang Chien-hui, and Yang Po-chih.
Prosecutors claim that Ding recruited retired officers Wang, Tan, and two others, Chang and Ho, who have since passed away, to form a network aimed at establishing contacts and gathering classified information. The network further expanded by recruiting both active and retired military personnel, including Lu, Chiu, Yang Chien-hui, and Yang Po-chih.
More than NT$11.12 million (US$356,444) was allegedly transferred to Taiwan to support these criminal operations, facilitated by an associate named Chen Chun-an, as per information from prosecutors, the Investigation Bureau, and the Ministry of National Defense (MND).
While official accounts have not specified when these activities occurred, local media reports suggest that Ding began recruiting individuals for his network in 2018, with espionage activities commencing in 2023. The case came to light through judicial authorities in 2024.
Additionally, on Tuesday, the Taipei District Prosecutors Office indicted Ding, Wang, and Chen on charges of money laundering and violations of the Banking Act. Charges against the deceased individuals, Chang and Ho, were dropped.