Taipei: The Supreme Court has finalized an 11-year prison sentence for a former Air Force colonel involved in a spy case for China, remanding certain charges back to a lower court for further examination. The ex-colonel, Chang Ming-che, was convicted of recruiting spies for China during his time on active duty. Details of the espionage case were first revealed by the media last June, following an investigation by the Ministry of National Defense.
According to Focus Taiwan, Taichung prosecutors revealed that Chang received approximately NT$1.34 million (US$42,608) from Chinese handlers between 2019 and 2023. Some of these payments reached up to NT$65,000 per month. The payments were made in exchange for intelligence and for recruiting spies within the military for China. Chang's recruitment into espionage activities began in 2019 through contact with three officers from the Chinese People's Liberation Army. These officers were associated with the Guangdong Provincial Government's overseas office in Bali, Indonesia, and provided Chang with a US$10,000 signing bonus.
The meeting that initiated Chang's involvement was arranged by Chung Shun-he, a Taiwanese businessman based in China. Chung passed away while the case was being heard at the Taichung branch of the Taiwan High Court last year. Prosecutors indicted Chang, Chung, and another military officer, surnamed Yeh, who was recruited by Chung following a 2023 meeting with PLA officers in Singapore.
In a ruling last September, the Taiwan High Court sentenced Chang to a total of 16 years for various offenses, including espionage and collecting military secrets. The court dismissed all charges against Chung due to his death and acquitted Yeh, citing insufficient evidence to convict.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court decided to remand two specific charges against Chang, originally resulting in four and three-year prison terms, back to the lower court. The exact reasons for the Supreme Court's decision have not been disclosed to the public. The Ministry of National Defense noted that the investigation stemmed from internal leads and was subsequently forwarded to the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office for action.