TAIPEI, Taiwan — Prosecutors in Taiwan announced on Tuesday that the island’s former president, Ma Ying-jeou, had been indicted over the handling of classified information in a 2013 wiretapping case.

If convicted, Ma faces a maximum of three years in prison.

Post-presidential legal troubles are something of an occupational hazard for leaders of Taiwan. After leaving office in 2008, Ma’s predecessor, Chen Shui-bian, was convicted on corruption charges. Chen was released on medical parole in 2015 after serving six years of a 20-year sentence.

Upon assuming the presidency in 2008, Ma was viewed by many as a steady hand after Chen’s unpredictable tenure. But when Ma stepped down as president in May, he was highly unpopular after eight years of poor economic performance, numerous scandals, and accusations of selling out to China.

During his tenure, Ma focused on improving relations with China, which claims self-ruled and democratic Taiwan as its territory and has threatened to attack the island if it formalizes its independence.