Kaohsiung prosecutors on Monday requested a heavier punishment for a coast guard officer surnamed Wu (吳) who was found guilty of selling classified military material to a Chinese national, after Wu was sentenced to six years, two months in prison in the first ruling.
The Ciaotou District Court last month found the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) corporal guilty of corruption for obtaining and selling to a Chinese man classified reports on radar stations and defense installations, as well as other sensitive documents.
The Ciaotou District Prosecutors’ Office in Kaohsiung on Monday requested that the High Court re-examine the case to impose a heavier punishment, due to the serious nature of incidents when Wu worked at the CGA’s Second Mobile Unit in Kaohsiung’s Gushan District (鼓山).
Photo: Taipei Times
Prosecutors last week applied to extend Wu’s detention, citing a flight risk and tampering with evidence, and the High Court approved detaining her for another three months.
An investigation uncovered that Wu posted messages on social media about her urgent need to earn more money. A Chinese national surnamed Wang (王) made contact and found out about her work for the coast guard, with Wu agreeing to pass on classified material that she could obtain in exchange for money.
Wu then took photographs of classified documents relating to maritime military exercises, files on coastal installations and defense plans, the daily logbooks of coast guard units and other CGA internal reports.
She accessed the classified material from Nov. 14 to Dec. 22 last year, prosecutors said.
Wu allegedly received NT$73,000 from Wang, which she converted to the tether cryptocurrency.
Wang then promised to pay her NT$500,000 for gathering more classified material relating to military and critical infrastructure, and defense plans on Taiwan’s outlying islands, they said.
Prosecutors uncovered evidence of Wu making an effort to do so by asking a colleague surnamed Yeh (葉) in a social media message: “Do you have access to defense plans on Pratas Island [Dongsha Island, 東沙島]? Any work records of the Dongsha Command, and also personnel and defense installation records? Also can you access the critical infrastructure plans at Dongsha, I need this stuff.”
Yeh refused her requests.
In the first ruling, Wu was convicted of contravening the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例), resulting in the prison term and being deprived of her civil rights for three years.
Wu has already filed an appeal to seek a reduced prison sentence.
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
A tropical disturbance off the southeastern coast of the Philippines might become the first typhoon of the western Pacific typhoon season, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The system lacks a visible center and how it would develop is only likely to become clear on Sunday or Monday, the CWA said, adding that it was not yet possible to forecast the potential typhoon's effect on Taiwan. The American Meteorological Society defines a tropical disturbance as a system made up of showers and thunderstorms that lasts for at least 24 hours and does not have closed wind circulation.
DIPLOMACY: It is Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo’s first visit to Taiwan since he took office last year, while Eswatini’s foreign minister is also paying a visit A delegation led by Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo arrived in Taiwan yesterday afternoon and is to visit President William Lai (賴清德) today. The delegation arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 4:55pm, and was greeted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). It is Arevalo’s first trip to Taiwan since he took office last year, and following the visit, he is to travel to Japan to celebrate the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Arevalo said at the airport that he is very glad to make the visit to Taiwan, adding that he brings an important message of responsibility
RSS