Taipei: Taiwan’s Supreme Court has upheld the sentences of the chairman and six other members of a pro-Chinese unification political party convicted of national security offenses.

According to Focus Taiwan, the court rejected the appeals of Chu Hung-yi, leader of the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, affirming his 10-year prison sentence. The court also upheld the convictions of Huang Kuei-kun, Tai Hsueh-wen, Lin Chien-hua, Chu Hsien-huan, Yu Tien-min, and Liao Yung-ching, whose sentences range from three years and six months to eight years and six months.

All seven individuals were indicted in August 2024 by the Taichung branch of the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office on charges of violating Taiwan’s National Security Act and Anti-Infiltration Act. The case originated from a 2022 investigation into Huang, a Miaoli County Council candidate, which expanded after his involvement with the newly formed Rehabilitation Alliance Party in 2023.

According to prosecutors, Chu Hung-yi, a former senior officer in Taiwan’s Army, engaged with Chinese intelligence officers during his business ventures in China. He allegedly accepted funding from China to recruit retired military officers and establish a political organization, which included Huang and others.

Chu founded the party in 2023 and recruited candidates, including veteran actor Liu Shang-chien, to run for the Legislature in Taiwan’s January 2024 election. Prosecutors claimed that Chu requested and received financial support from China, totaling NT$2 million (US$63,860) and 150,000 Chinese yuan, for campaign activities. However, none of the party’s candidates succeeded in the election.

In addition to election activities, Chu allegedly directed party members to compile information on Taiwan’s military officers and photograph military installations. These included the Alishan Radar Station and various camps in Pingtung, as well as the American Institute in Taiwan’s Taipei office. The information was reportedly sent to his contact in China.

During interrogation, Chu claimed that the money received was for appraising antiques and denied knowledge of why he was asked to photograph military sites. Taiwan’s National Security Act prohibits the formation of organizations for foreign entities or hostile forces.

In June 2025, the Taichung branch of the Taiwan High Court convicted Chu and his party members. Their appeal to the Supreme Court was unsuccessful, rendering the verdicts final.