Taipei prosecutors brought indictments against 33 people yesterday, including former government ministers, in five different cases surrounding the massive corruption scandal at the Jin-Wen Institute of Technology and the Jin-Wen Group.
Former education minister Kirby Yung (
The indictments follow an 11-month investigation in which 280 people were summoned for questioning.
When the case first broke last year, prosecutors launched an investigation into claims that Chang had embezzled an estimated NT$200 million from the school.
By that time, Chang had already fled the country.
The case quickly grew as investigators learned that a large number of government officials may have received favors from the Jin-Wen Group in exchange for helping the business expand.
Chang and the Jin-Wen Group owe more than NT$4.5 billion in debt to multiple state-run and private financial institutions.
Indictments handed down yesterday involve:
? tap-water systems installed for the Jin-Wen Institute and the Ta Hsueh Shih Hsiang residential community, which was also built by the Jin-Wen Group;
? a decision made by the education ministry allowing a high school run by the group to increase its class sizes and set up an affiliated junior high school;
? a decision by the ministry allowing the institute to be upgraded into a college, as well as the illegal rezoning of land to facilitate the school's expansion;
? bank loans obtained by the group on inflated collateral; and
? the embezzlement of school funds.
In the indictment, the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office asked for life in prison for Lin, 15 years for Yung, 12 years for Chang and eight years for Lai.
Others indicted include officials from the Ministry of Education and the Taipei City Government, board members and managers from the Jin-Wen Group, officials from the Central Trust of China and an assortment of other officials and businessmen.
The investigation led to Lin's dismissal in April, as well as to accusations between legislators about who was involved in the scandal.
In late March, independent lawmaker and gangster Lo Fu-chu (羅福助) attacked his colleague Diane Lee (
No sitting legislators were named in yesterday's indictments.
Charges in the indictments include breach of trust, bribery, forgery, fraud and the illegal occupation of land. Investigations into other aspects of the scandal are still continuing, prosecutors said.
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