Court frees Procomp's ex-chairwoman

Shihlin District Court yesterday agreed to release Sophie Yeh (葉素菲), former chairperson of Procomp Informatics Co (博達科技), on NT$80 million bail.

Yeh has been indicted for embezzling over NT$7 billion from Procomp. Last October, prosecutors recommended a sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a NT$500 million fine.

Yeh's detention order will expire on May 25 and she can be released if the district court cannot secure a conviction by that time.

In response, financial regulators said it is not appropriate for them to comment on judicial rulings.

"The prosecutors and the judges said they have collected enough evidence and are thus not worried that Yeh will collude with accomplices," Financial Supervisory Commission Vice Chairman Lu Daung-yen (呂東英) said yesterday.

It is not proper for them to comment further on the decision, Lu said.

Another beleagured executive, Hu Hung-chiu (胡洪九), the former chief financial officer of Asia Pacific Wire and Cable Corp (太平洋電線電纜), was also set to be released on record bail of NT$120 million the day before yesterday.

Hu was accused of stealing approximately NT$17.1 billion from 1993 to 1998 when he worked at Asia Pacific Wire and Cable Corp.