Democratic Progressive Party mayoral candidate Shen Boyang, second from right, raised his thumbs up when visiting supporters at the Wuchang Street Night Market in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Tian Yuhua, Taipei Times
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The Prosecutor's Office yesterday requested an 18-month prison sentence for accepting HK$99,950 (approximately US$12,735) from two people in Hong Kong to monitor the behavior of Democratic Progressive Party legislator Shen Boyang (Shen Boyang) in 2024.
The Taipei Prosecutor's Office sought punishment for private detective Cheng Yong-jin, who was indicted together with fellow private investigator Hsieh Yi-chen and two others for violating the Personal Data Protection Act by illegally collecting and using personal information. The target of surveillance is Shen Boyang, the Taipei mayoral candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party in next month's local election.
Zheng Yongjin, Xie Yichen and Xie Yichen's employees Jiang Wenxin (江文鑚) and Hou Kaihan (Hou Kaihan) were charged with violating the Personal Data Protection Law and illegally collecting and using personal data, the prosecutor's office said.
The Prosecutor's Office pointed out that Zheng Yongjin was hired by Hong Kong people Ju Juexian (Ju Juexian) and Lin Qing (Lin Qing) on September 5, 2024 to conduct surveillance on Shen Boyang and received the reward through bank transfer on the same day.
Zheng Yongjin later subcontracted the work to Xie Yichen for a price of NT$180,000, and Xie Yichen then sent officers Jiang Wenxin and Hou Kaihan to perform surveillance tasks, the prosecutor's office said.
Xie Yichen's employees initially found it difficult to conduct surveillance because Shen Boyang had hired private bodyguards, so they proposed parking an electric motorcycle with a miniature camera hidden under the seat outside Shen Boyang's residence. This plan was approved by Zheng Yongjin, the prosecutor's office said.
The two men recorded the whereabouts of Shen Boyang and his family from October 1 to November 8, 2024, and sent the video to Zheng Yongjin via Telegram, who then forwarded it to Ju Juexian via Telegram, the prosecutor's office said.
Jiang Wenxin and Hou Kaihan often parked their cars outside Shen Boyang's residence to monitor his whereabouts and the movements of his wife and daughter, the prosecutor's office added.
At the same time, Ju Juexian and Lin Qing have entered Taiwan several times since September 2024, but are currently not in the country, the prosecutor's office said.
The Public Prosecutor's Office issued arrest warrants for the two men yesterday on the same charges as above, namely violating the Personal Data Protection Act.
After Shen Boyang's bodyguards suspected the suspicious electric motorcycle, they reported it to the Da'an Branch of the Taipei Police Department at the end of 2024. The case was transferred to the Prosecutor's Office for investigation about a year ago.
Zheng Yongjin repeatedly downplayed his role during the investigation and showed no remorse even when he finally admitted the crime. Therefore, the Prosecutor's Office believes that he should be severely punished.
Since Xie Yichen, Jiang Wenxin and Hou Kaihan have all admitted their crimes, expressed regret, admitted that their actions violated Shen Boyang's privacy, and expressed their hope to have the opportunity to apologize to Shen Boyang and seek his forgiveness, the Prosecutor's Office requested the court to impose appropriate penalties on them.
Shen Boyang said yesterday that he has always put personal safety first and was saddened by the personal attacks on Taiwanese politicians and internet celebrities for downplaying China's surveillance of them.
He told the police that he suspected that the matter may be related to foreign entities, because even before entering politics, he was often criticized or otherwise targeted by China.
Before becoming a legislator in January 2024, Shen Boyang studied and organized international civil defense and national security forums, activities that he said Beijing strongly opposed.
Shen Boyang, an associate professor of criminology, helped found the Kuma Institute, a nonprofit civil defense organization focused on preparing Taiwanese citizens for a potential Chinese invasion.
On October 14, 2024, the Taiwan Affairs Office of China included Shen Boyang in its list of "firm Taiwan independence" elements because of his participation in the work of Kumar College.
News source: Taipei Times
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