Taiwan Air Force Spy Couple Sentenced to Decades in Prison in Retrial

Espionage Case Reveals Significant Security Breach within Taiwanese Military

Taipei, Taiwan – In a significant legal development, a couple formerly serving in Taiwan's Air Force have received lengthy prison sentences following a retrial for espionage activities. The Taiwan High Court branch in Kaohsiung handed down the verdicts, marking a substantial escalation in the penalties compared to the initial rulings.

Sun Wei (孫緯) and his wife, Liu Yun-ya (劉芸雅), were found guilty of multiple violations of the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces, including the transmission of classified military intelligence to Chinese operatives. The court imposed substantial sentences: Sun received a combined sentence of 47 years, while Liu received a 57-year sentence across the charges.

The retrial stemmed from a previous ruling by the Supreme Court, which identified flaws in the original sentencing. Initially, Sun and Liu had received sentences of 19 years and six months, and 20 years and six months, respectively.

The couple's case is intricately linked to that of retired Air Force colonel Liu Sheng-shu (劉聖恕). Investigations revealed that Liu, after retiring in 2013, established business ventures in China. He was subsequently recruited as a spy and leveraged his military connections to recruit active-duty officers into espionage activities, offering financial incentives.

Liu Sheng-shu successfully recruited six officers, including Sun and Liu. He received payments from Chinese entities, funneled through a shell company, ranging from NT$200,000 (US$6,089) to NT$700,000 for each officer recruited. Furthermore, he received bonuses for facilitating the transfer of classified information regarding Taiwan's military capabilities.

The case led to the arrest and indictment of Liu Sheng-shu and the six other officers in April 2023. Following rulings and appeals, the Supreme Court upheld most of the defendants' sentences, except for Sun and Liu, whose verdicts were remanded for retrial. The Control Yuan, Taiwan’s highest government supervisory body, has also censured the Ministry of National Defense regarding its management of the incident, emphasizing the seriousness of the breach involving multiple active military personnel, the highest number in recent years.

The ruling can still be appealed.