TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Taipei District Prosecutors Office on Thursday said a former DPP legislative aide running for a seat on the Taipei City Council should serve at least five years in prison on allegations of spying for China.
Chu Cheng-chi (朱政騏) is accused of taking pictures of confidential documents at the office of his former employer, DPP Legislator Ho Chih-wei (何志偉), and forwarding them to China by phone, UDN reported. Investigators discovered Chu’s role during a probe into a spy case involving a former legislative contact official at the Cabinet and a Taiwanese businessperson based in China.
In August 2022, Chu used an iPhone 13 Pro he had received from the Cabinet official to take pictures and download confidential PDF files from legislative offices he had access to. The following day, he sent the information to a Chinese national named Wang (王) in return for NT$93,000 (US$2,910), prosecutors said.
Chu moved on to serve as executive director of the DPP Taipei City branch before winning a primary in March to run for a Taipei City Council seat, the Liberty Times reported. After ending his legislative career, Ho was appointed deputy secretary-general at the Presidential Office.
Chu issued a statement denying the allegations, while endorsing stiff penalties for violating the National Security Act. He promised to cooperate with investigators, but refuted accusations that he had betrayed the country, per the Liberty Times.
However, the DPP announced at noon Thursday it had canceled Chu’s status as a candidate and expelled him from the party, UDN reported. Taipei DPP officials said they maintain a policy of “zero tolerance” for those breaking the National Security Act.
