A Chinese official was sentenced to life in prison for selling state secrets to pay off crypto investment debts.
Life Sentence over State Secrets Sale
China’s Ministry of State Security announced on November 8 that a Chinese public official has been sentenced to life imprisonment for selling state secrets to foreign entities to offset crypto investment losses.
Wang, the official in question, was purportedly saddled with substantial obligations as a result of his unsuccessful cryptocurrency investments. In an effort to alleviate his financial burden, he visited an online forum in search of part-time employment, inadvertently disclosing his status as a civil servant.
The decision provided foreign operatives with the opportunity to contact him with offers of substantial remuneration in exchange for information regarding the production duties and research progress of his confidential unit.
In exchange for payment, Wang, who was regarded as a promising young man by his colleagues and family, consented to disclose top-secret and confidential state secrets to foreign agencies.
At first, he disclosed only a modest quantity of internal information; however, as he became more deeply involved in the scheme, he disclosed more sensitive information. In the end, the erstwhile civil servant received more than one million yuan in cryptocurrency.
He was convicted of espionage and sentenced to life imprisonment by the People’s Court, which also revoked all of his political rights.
The security breach was facilitated by Wang’s unit’s failure to rigorously enforce confidentiality management systems and protective measures, according to the ministry. The unit has been directed by national security agencies to implement corrective measures.
