Asia Dispatch Taiwan has sentenced eight military officers in the Chinese spy case. Taiwan says China paid them in crypto for spying.
China may ban its citizens from buying and selling crypto, but it is willing to use digital assets to pay off foreign spies.
That's the takeaway after eight current and former military officers were sentenced Thursday to 18 months to 13 years in prison for violating Taiwan's National Security Law and the Armed Forces Criminal Code.
According to Taiwan, the individuals were recruited to build a spy network for Beijing Central News Agency.
And, according to the Bureau of Investigation's Taoyuan City Investigation Office, they were paid in crypto — though it's not clear if that was the only payment method used.
“This case effectively halted the ongoing leak of military secrets and uncovered a new criminal tactic of the Chinese Communist Party that offers bribes in the form of virtual currency,” the bureau said in a statement. Advertisement.
While the total amount of crypto involved in bribes remains unclear, Taiwan is trying to curb the rise in espionage cases involving digital currencies.
For example, in March, Ma Chih-wei, a People's Party candidate for the Taoyuan City Legislative Committee, was indicted after receiving more than $30,000 in Tether from Chinese sources to support her political campaign.
Crypto-related crimes have also boomed in Taiwan, prompting candidates in this year's elections to call for a crackdown on fraud, including crypto.
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Callan Quinn is Asia Correspondent for DL News. Got a tip? Email her [email protected].