TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — DPP Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) dispelled rumors circulating CTiTV reporter Lin Chen-yu (林宸佑) that broke out on Saturday.

Lin and five active-duty and retired military personnel were taken into custody for allegedly leaking military secrets to China. Lin is believed to have acted as a middleman in a scheme to obtain classified information for Chinese contacts.

He is accused of contacting a Marine Corps officer surnamed Chen (陳), who was indicted for receiving NT$210,000 (US$6,640) to record a video pledging allegiance to China while holding a Chinese flag. The reporter is suspected of contacting nine active-duty or retired military personnel facing financial difficulties.

Shen took to Facebook on Sunday to remind the public that military personnel are civil servants and that accepting bribes is illegal. He said that anyone who instigates military personnel to break the law is considered an accomplice and that a person does not need to be a civil servant to be considered an accomplice.

The lawmaker emphasized that Lin’s alleged crime was not because of his reporting or interviews, but that he is suspected of committing a separate criminal act on his own volition. “Labeling all judicial investigations as ‘White Terror’ does nothing to clarify the facts,” he said.

Shen said that the key factors in granting bail are whether there is a risk of collusion or flight. He pointed out that in previous espionage cases involving the DPP, one person confessed early, which led to bail combined with electronic monitoring, but four others were detained.

Shen also cited the case of Shao Wei-chiang (邵維強), a Kinmen-based journalist who made contact with Taiwanese servicemembers and provided confidential information to China over 20 years and had soldiers sign surrender pledges.