Arms dealer detained over Yin case

Police yesterday detained an arms dealer who fled the country six years ago allegedly to evade investigation of Taiwan's biggest military scandal which was possibly connected with the slaying of a navy captain.

Shan Yi-cheng (單亦誠), 78, was arrested when he stepped off a Cathay Pacific passenger flight from Hong Kong. He had been deported after serving four months in jail for entering the territory on a false passport, police said.

Police said they detained Shan on charges of offering NT$2.5 million in bribes to former navy captain Kuo Li-heng (郭力恆) when brokering a deal to sell the navy a German minesweeper in 1987. The bribe was said to have come from another arms dealer, Yang Peng (楊鵬), who left Taiwan in 1991.

Kuo was arrested shortly after the 1993 killing of Captain Yin Ching-feng (尹清楓), who headed a weapons procurement office. Yin was believed to have been murdered because he was about to name colleagues who allegedly took bribes from arms dealers.

When interrogated by police yesterday, Shan denied he was acquainted with Kuo, Yang or Yin.

Shan admitted that he had acted as an agent for the Navy to procure four minesweepers in 1992, but said he had stopped engaging in arms brokerage since then.

He said the 1992 procurement case was unrelated to the scandal involving Yin's death.

Shan left Taiwan after being interviewed only once by investigators about Yin's death and was not heard from until being detained in Hong Kong on March 23 for using a fake Brazilian passport.

He was initially sentenced to six months in prison, but this was then commuted on appeal to 43 days. He was released on June 12 after the reduced sentencing decision.

Police said they expected him to provide clues that might shed light on the slaying.

Yang Tzu-ching (楊子敬), retired director of the Criminal Investigation Bureau who had presided over the investigation into Yin's death, said he strongly suspects Shan has some knowledge about the case.

Yang said Shan would otherwise not have fled the island in such a hurry after being questioned by police. In addition to the minesweeper procurement scandal, police also suspect that Yin's murder might be related to another scandal surrounding the purchase of six French-made Lafayette class frigates.

Yin's widow, Li Mei-kuei (李美葵), yesterday said her husband's death was definitely connected with his work.

Li urged President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who had been very concerned about the case when he was still a lawmaker, to uphold justice for her husband now that he has become the head of state.

Li said while there was speculation that senior officials right up to the Presidential Office were stalling the investigation into Yin's death, she hoped the new government would be able to bring a breakthrough to the case.