Kaohsiung: A CTi TV reporter and five military personnel, including both active-duty and retired members, have been detained incommunicado for their alleged roles in a scheme involving the exchange of military information to individuals in China. Ciaotou prosecutors have accused the journalist of bribing service members to leak sensitive data, a charge that has led to their detention without visitation rights.

According to Focus Taiwan, the Ciaotou District Court approved the prosecutors’ request to hold Lin Chen-you, a reporter for CTi News, and the five military personnel after a legal hearing. The recent operation saw prosecutors searching Lin’s rented residence in Taipei and subsequently bringing him to Kaohsiung for questioning. Additionally, the homes of nine service members were searched as part of the investigation.

Prosecutor Chou Wei-chih revealed that Lin allegedly paid the military personnel sums ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands of New Taiwan dollars in exchange for classified military information. These actions are believed to breach Taiwan’s National Security Act and the Anti-Corruption Act, as stated by the prosecutors’ office.

Lin, who primarily covers political news for CTi News and hosts a political program on the outlet’s YouTube channel, is now at the center of this controversy. In response to the developments, CTi TV released a statement emphasizing their demand for a fair judicial process while denying any searches at their premises. The company urged against the spread of misinformation regarding their involvement.

This incident comes in the wake of CTi News losing its cable television license in 2020, a decision made by Taiwan’s communications regulator due to repeated violations. The Ministry of National Defense reported that the case was escalated to Ciaotou prosecutors following an investigation by the National Security Bureau, in collaboration with the ministry and the Investigation Bureau, leading to the current detainment of the suspects.