Taipei prosecutors yesterday indicted retired air force lieutenant colonel Liu Chi-ju (劉其儒) on suspicion of collaborating with a major espionage network on behalf of China.
Prosecutors said they had earlier indicted Chinese national Zhen Xiaojiang (鎮小江), who retired from China’s People’s Liberation Army as a captain, on charges of espionage.
Zhen is alleged to have recruited several air force officers into his spy ring.
Prosecutors said their investigation into Zhen’s activities discovered that Liu, who retired from the air force in 2005, played an instrumental role in the recruiting of active and retired air force officers to spy for China, including a former officer of the Air Force Academy Flight Training Command surnamed Ke Chi-hsien (葛季賢), along with Lou Wen-ching (樓文卿), who is still on active duty at the academy.
Liu has been charged with violating the National Security Act (國家安全法). Ke and Lou have also been indicted, although investigators are still trying to determine if they leaked any classified information.
Prosecutors said that Zhen enticed a number of air force officers to join his spy ring by offering money and all-expenses-paid vacations, including Lieutenant Colonel Chou Tzu-li (周自立) and Major General Hsu Nai-chuan (許乃權), who later recruited several colleagues and former academy classmates to spy for China.
A number of pieces of classified information were leaked to Chinese intelligence agents, prosecutors said.
Zhen, Chou and Hsu have been held incommunicado and denied bail since their arrest, amid concerns they might try to flee the country.
Liu’s exact whereabouts are not known. He has been residing in China, where he ran a business, since he left the service.
Prosecutors said that when they asked Ke why he had betrayed his country after having such a distinguished career, he remained silent.
Source: Taipei Times - 2015/06/23
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