TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An Army lieutenant colonel serving in the Aviation and Special Forces Command unit responsible for defending Taipei City has been detained on suspicions of passing secrets to China, reports said Wednesday (Aug. 2).
After raiding locations on Monday (July 31), investigators obtained the approval from a court to detain incommunicado Hsieh (謝) and a civilian bearing the same surname, the Liberty Times reported. A retired major was freed on NT$600,000 (US$19,000) bail, while two civilians saw bail set at NT$20,000 and NT$50,000.
The lieutenant colonel served in the 601st brigade based in Longtan District, Taoyuan City, assigned to defend the Taipei area and northern Taiwan. The unit was equipped with AH-64E Apache attack helicopters from the United States.
The current case was seen as more serious than previous spying incidents, as it involved a senior officer still serving in a crucial position. Several recent spy cases concerned mostly retired officers being lured to China and asked to collect information from acquaintances and relatives.
The seriousness of the new case was also underlined by the fact that the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office had been put in charge of the investigation. The Presidential Office described the actions of the suspects as “shameful,” per CNA.
If found guilty of passing secrets to China, the suspects could face a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.