Former independent legislator Lo Fu-chu (羅福助) failed to report to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday to begin serving a four-year prison term, the office said, adding that Lo might be placed on the wanted list by last night.
The office said it received a petition from Lo yesterday asking for a reprieve so that he could file an extraordinary appeal and take care of some business matters.
Prosecutors rejected his appeal and issued 22 warrants for his arrest.
Taipei Times file photo
Lo has not been seen in public for nearly a month, despite law enforcement officers’ efforts to track him down.
Prosecutors said they may put him on the wanted list and confiscate his NT$10 million (US$339,000) bond.
The statute of limitations would not run out on Lo’s case until December 2030, when he will be 87, the office said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Local media reports said Lo might have fled the country after Tomb Sweeping Day on April 4 and could be in either China or Australia, where he has many friends and relatives, or in the US. He is also believed to have invested in a hotel in Shanghai.
Lo, a controversial figure, was imprisoned for more than three years in 1984 for ties to the Celestial Way (天道盟) gang and detained in 2002 for four months for suspected fraud and embezzlement.
He began serving in the legislature in 1996 and was re-elected to another term in 1999, during which he became an independent lawmaker.
On March 28, the Supreme Court sentenced him to four years in prison and fined him NT$6 million for stock manipulation, document forgery and money laundering under the Securities and Exchange Act (證券交易法) and the Business Accounting Act (商業會計法).
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS