Taipei: The Taipei District Prosecutors Office has indicted four former members of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on charges of alleged espionage activities for China. The indictments, revealed on Tuesday, involve accusations of divulging classified national security information, money laundering, and the development of a criminal organization.
According to Focus Taiwan, the individuals charged include Huang Chu-jung and Chiu Shih-yuan, who allegedly provided confidential information to Chinese intelligence. Huang has also been accused by the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office of establishing a criminal organization to serve Chinese interests, a matter considered a significant threat to national security warranting high court jurisdiction.
The other two individuals, Ho Jen-chieh and Wu Shang-yu, face charges related to the delivery of classified information, with Wu specifically accused of transmitting sensitive national security details to a foreign country. All four are currently detained.
Prosecutors allege that Huang was recruited by Chinese intelligence during a business trip to China in 2017. After returning to Taiwan, he is accused of collecting sensitive information through Chiu, who previously held a position as deputy head of the DPP's Taiwan Institute of Democracy. This information reportedly included high-level details of the president's and vice president's international visits.
The investigation revealed that Wu, a former Presidential Office advisor, and Ho, once an assistant to National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu, were sources of the leaked information. Huang allegedly compensated Chiu, Ho, and Wu with several thousand Taiwan dollars for their cooperation.
Prosecutors argued that Huang and Chiu committed espionage over an extended period, acquiring confidential data from Ho and Wu in exchange for payments from Chinese intelligence. This conduct was described as a severe criminal offense.
Furthermore, the prosecution criticized Ho for betraying national trust and compromising security by leaking information over time. Wu Shang-yu's cooperation with Chiu in leaking sensitive data was also deemed highly serious.
During the investigation, Huang and Ho denied involvement and attempted to mislead authorities, whereas Chiu and Wu confessed to their actions.
In a related but separate case, Sheng Chu-ying, a former assistant to then-Legislative Speaker You Si-kun, faces accusations of leaking legislative information to Chinese intelligence. Sheng, who has not yet been indicted, is currently out on bail under electronic surveillance. All individuals involved were expelled from the DPP in May.