TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – National Defense University Professor Ke Ming-te (葛明德) was a defendant in a fraud case, but not involved in leaking defense secrets, reports said Thursday.

As investigators searched homes and offices linked to Ke on Wednesday, suspicions were voiced that patents the professor had applied for involved research programs and military secrets, per UDN. However, after questioning finished early Thursday, prosecutors said he was a defendant in a case concerning research fee fraud, but no evidence had been found of links to China.

Ke’s home in Taoyuan, his offices at the university, and a company in Shulin, New Taipei, formed the focus of Wednesday’s searches. Prosecutors questioned three defendants, including Ke, and seven witnesses about the case.

Ke and a business person named Chang (張), both former military officers, were freed on bail of NT$50,000 (US$1,515). Bail for a woman named Liao (廖) who worked as an accountant was set at NT$30,000.

In the past, lawmakers had accused Ke of using his son to set up a company conducting technology and research exchanges with China. The company even held board meetings on the campus of National Defense University, according to the allegations.