TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Chief of the General Staff Lee Hsi-min (李喜明) denied accusations that he was involved in the alleged leak of confidential data about Taiwan’s submarine project to China.

A former adviser to the Navy, Kuo Hsi (郭璽), accused Kuomintang (KMT) lawmaker Ma Wen-chun (馬文君) of having passed on sensitive information to China. Taiwan’s first indigenous submarine, the Hai Kun or “Narwhal,” was launched at a shipyard in Kaohsiung City on Sept. 28.

Kuo also hinted at the existence of a group of former Navy officers having “sold out Taiwan,” naming Lee as a member, the China Times reported. Lee, a retired admiral, also served as a senior fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Project 2049 Institute.

In reaction to Kuo’s comments, Lee said he would not come out and hold a news conference about the issue, but he described himself as an innocent bystander getting caught in a disturbance. Two other former Navy officers named by Kuo also rejected his allegations.

The Ministry of National Defense said it had requested strict confidentiality during the building of the submarine. As the allegations about leaks by a legislator had now entered the judicial process, the ministry said it would not comment on individual cases but cooperate with the investigation.