Taiwan prosecutors interrogate lawmaker Kao Chin Su-mei in expanding espionage probe

The Taiwan High Prosecutors Office today (the 2nd) directed the National Security Division of the Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau to summon Chang Chun-chieh, an aide to independent legislator Kao Chin Su-mei, as a defendant in connection with a case involving alleged violations of the National Security Act. This investigation stems from earlier probes by prosecutors and investigators into legislative aides allegedly involved in a Chinese spy ring, during which Chen Chih-huang and Lin Yi-chu, two other aides from Kao Chin Su-mei's office, were successfully detained and placed incommunicado. As the scope of the investigation has progressively expanded and deepened, investigators today further summoned Legislator Kao Chin Su-mei to provide an explanation, and she is scheduled to be transferred to the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office for further questioning at night to clarify the relevant details of the case and the actual operations within the lawmaker's office.

Reviewing the trajectory of the entire case, investigative authorities recently received intelligence indicating that certain aides in Legislator Kao Chin Su-mei's congressional office were allegedly developing organizations in Taiwan for foreign forces, collecting confidential information for Taiwan, or conducting united front infiltration work. After gathering relevant evidence and deeming the alleged involvement to be severe, investigators promptly launched search and summons operations. During the previous investigative process, authorities targeted Kao Chin's aides Chen Chih-huang and Lin Yi-chu. Following questioning by prosecutors, the two were determined to be heavily implicated with grounds to suspect collusion with witnesses, destruction of evidence, or flight, prompting prosecutors to petition the Taiwan High Court for their detention incommunicado, which was granted. Following the capture and detention of these two core aides, investigators have continued to filter through seized communication records, electronic devices, and related capital flows, gradually piecing together the full picture of the case.

In today's operation, the investigative actions of the authorities extended upward. Directed by the High Prosecutors Office, agents from the Investigation Bureau's National Security Division officially summoned Legislator Kao Chin Su-mei as a defendant to clarify whether she had knowledge of her office aides' involvement in national security cases, and whether the aides utilized the lawmaker office's name, resources, or authority to cover up their illegal activities while conducting related operations. Because a lawmaker's office is an extension of the nation's highest legislative body, the involvement of office members in national security cases invariably attracts a high degree of public concern and apprehension. Consequently, investigators have adopted an extremely prudent and rigorous approach to handle the case, ensuring that all procedures comply with legal norms while protecting the rights of the parties involved and thoroughly uncovering the truth.

In recent years, Taiwanese society has maintained a high level of vigilance against cases involving foreign forces utilizing various channels to infiltrate and absorb personnel within Taiwan to spy or influence democratic elections. Following multiple amendments, the National Security Act and related regulations now provide clearer specifications regarding the criminal liabilities and constituent elements of espionage activities, aiming to plug any loopholes that could endanger national sovereignty and social stability. When investigating such cases, judicial and investigative agencies typically conduct thorough reviews from dimensions including funding sources, interpersonal networks, and contact targets to ensure that the national defense line is not breached. The successive involvement and compulsory measures taken against Kao Chin Su-mei's aides once again highlight that the management and national security awareness of elected representatives' staff teams have become a focal point jointly scrutinized by investigators and the general public amid the current complex geopolitical environment.

With investigators summoning Kao Chin Su-mei today and expecting to transfer her to the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office for further questioning in the evening, this case will enter a more critical legal procedure. Prosecutors will cross-reference the contents of today's interrogation, previously seized physical evidence, and the testimonies of detained defendants to determine whether further compulsory measures against Kao Chin Su-mei are necessary, or whether to grant bail or release her. This case not only tests the independence and professionalism of the judicial authorities in handling cases, but also serves as a reminder to all sectors that, within the framework of democracy and the rule of law, safeguarding national security and information protection is a bottom line that all public officials and their staff teams must strictly adhere to, and any illegal activities will be submitted to the judiciary for the most impartial adjudication and ruling.