TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Prosecutors charged a former representative of a Taiwanese airline in China with attempting to bribe a government official to provide Beijing with confidential information, reports said Tuesday.

The plot failed when the Mainland Affairs Council official he approached turned down the offer of NT$100,000 (US$3,250), per CNA. The former airline executive, surnamed Chiao (喬), allegedly worked for Chinese intelligence agencies between 2012 and 2014, according to the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office.

Prosecutors said he sought confidential reports from outside research institutes commissioned by the MAC. After the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau’s national security unit was informed about his actions, investigators searched his home, examined his computers and phones, and summoned him for questioning.

During his work in Sichuan Province, Chinese officials also asked him to recruit other Taiwanese to collect secrets, per UDN. Chiao reportedly contacted a former fellow student and offered free overseas trips and money in return for defense and other government information, but without success.

Prosecutors concluded he had violated the National Security Act and regulations barring outsiders from offering bribes to civil servants. They filed charges with the Taiwan High Court on Monday.