TAIPEI: Retired Army Major Lee Hai-peng has been sentenced to 12 years in prison by the Taiwan High Court for selling classified information to China, marking a significant increase from his previous sentence in the same case. His sons, former Captain Lee Yu-sheng and former Sergeant Lee Yu-ching, along with former Air Force Major Lee Wen-sheng, were also handed prison sentences for their roles in the espionage activities. The court's decision reflects heightened penalties for the defendants, who have been found guilty of colluding in the act of compromising Taiwan's national security.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Taiwan High Court's ruling highlighted that Lee Hai-peng, who had retired from the military in 1990, began facilitating meetings between Taiwanese and Chinese officials. It was during this period that he was recruited by Chinese authorities to gather intelligence. In 2008, Lee Hai-peng enlisted the help of Lee Wen-sheng, a serving Air Force officer, to procure classified information, which was subsequently transferred to Chinese intelligence in exchange for monetary rewards and other perks.
The court noted that Lee Wen-sheng provided both hard and digital copies of confidential files to Lee Hai-peng, who then passed them on to Chinese operatives. The exchange reportedly involved a payment of US$10,000 and a funded trip to South Korea. In 2010, with Lee Wen-sheng nearing retirement, Lee Hai-peng turned to his sons for assistance in continuing the espionage activities. Lee Yu-ching, in particular, was found to have actively collected and digitized classified information for his father, despite being aware of his father's espionage activities.
The court detailed an incident in 2012, where Lee Hai-peng, accompanied by his wife, Lee Yu-ching, and his girlfriend, traveled to Malaysia on an all-expenses-paid trip, during which they met with Chinese officials. Despite knowing the implications, Lee Yu-ching continued his involvement in intelligence collection upon returning to Taiwan.
Initially, Lee Wen-sheng was sentenced to three years and two months, and Lee Yu-sheng and Lee Yu-ching received sentences of two years and two months, and two years and four months, respectively. However, in a retrial, the court imposed stiffer sentences on Lee Hai-peng and Lee Wen-sheng, while Lee Yu-sheng's sentence was slightly reduced. The rulings remain open to appeal, leaving the final outcomes pending.