Taipei: Former legislative assistant Chu Cheng-chi, who recently won a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) primary for a Taipei city council seat, was indicted Thursday on charges of spying for China.
According to Focus Taiwan, according to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office, Chu allegedly used his access to legislative offices while working as an aide to former Legislator Ho Chih-wei and Taipei City Councilor Chung Pei-ling to obtain and transmit confidential documents in August 2022.
Prosecutors stated that Chu Cheng-chi received 20,000 yuan (approximately US$2,905) in exchange for the information. In July 2022, Chu allegedly received an iPhone 13 Pro from Hu Peng-nien, a retired Executive Yuan official linked to a separate espionage case, and used it to communicate with contacts in China. On August 23 and 24, he reportedly entered legislative offices in his role as an aide, accessed documents classified as "confidential," and later photographed and transmitted them to a Chinese contact surnamed Wang in exchange for payment.
The prosecutors charged Chu with violating the National Security Act and are seeking the confiscation of his alleged illicit gains. They are advocating for a prison sentence of at least five years for Chu. Despite the allegations, Chu, a former executive director of the DPP's Taipei branch, denied any wrongdoing, asserting that he had not leaked state secrets, harmed Taiwan's interests, or received illegal gains. He emphasized his full cooperation with investigators and expressed confidence in receiving a fair trial.
The case is part of a larger investigation into an alleged Chinese espionage network involving businessman Cheng Ming-chia and Hu. Both were indicted in January for allegedly recruiting military personnel and young political figures for China's United Front Work Department, with prosecutors seeking a sentence of at least 10 years for Cheng.