Former executive of food-scandal-plagued Ting Hsin Oil and Fat Industrial Co (頂新製油實業), Wei Ying-chun (魏應充), was released on NT$100 million (US$3.2 million) bail yesterday.
Following a 15-hour hearing, the Changhua District Court granted Wei bail at 1am yesterday, saying that it approved the release because prosecutors had completed their investigation and Wei’s three-month detention period was about to expire.
In laying down bail terms, the court restricted Wei from changing his place of residence and required that Wei report to his local police station every day by noon to help ensure that he would not try to flee.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
As Ting Hsin had prepared NT$300 million in cash to bail out any of its staff, it ferried in the money in an SUV within five minutes, in NT$2,000 note bales.
The bailiffs counted the sum in 10 minutes and allowed Wei, indicted on multiple charges of fraud related to an edible oil scandal on Oct. 30 and detained on Oct. 31, to be released by 2:30am.
Wei then returned to his family home in Changhua County’s Yongching Township (永靖), where he took part in a traditional act of crossing over a stove, which is believed to cleanse those who have been in jail of the bad luck such a stay might have put on them.
Wei then returned to his Taipei residence in The Palace at 7am before reporting to the Xinsheng South Road police station for his bail bond.
He said he was thankful the Changhua District Court allowed him to post bail and would report his bail bond every day.
Wei, one of four brothers who founded Ting Hsin International Group (頂新國際集團), chaired the group’s three subsidiaries — Ting Hsin Oil and Fat, Wei Chuan Foods Corp (味全食品工業) and Cheng I Food Co (正義股份) — that were at the heart of the food safety scandals that erupted in October last year.
Ting Hsin Oil and Fat and Cheng I Food were found to be using ingredients not fit for human consumption, such as oils used in animal feeds, in the cooking oils they sold to food processors and to consumers under the Wei Chuan brand.
Wei’s lawyer said in the bail hearing that the Ting Hsin Group had demonstrated its sincerity in making amends for its actions by repaying NT$6.5 billion outstanding on a syndicated loan and remitting NT$3 billion for a food safety fund.
He also tried to allay the judge’s suspicions about Ting Hsin group’s recent withdrawal of NT$300 million in cash, saying the funds were prepared to pay for the release of Ting Hsin employees, should they be granted bail.
The lawyer assured the judges that Wei and other defendants in the case would not flee after being released.
Wei testified that he was suffering from chronic diseases and that he needed to be released from detention to take care of issues related to Ting Hsin Oil and Fat employees ahead of the Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 19.
The court also ordered that three other defendants — former Ting Hsin Oil general manager Chang Mei-feng (常梅峰), the company’s former acting chairman Chen Mao-chia (陳茂嘉) and Yang Chen-yi (楊振益), who owns Vietnamese trading company Dai Hanh Phuc Co (大幸福公司) — be released on a NT$5 million bail.
Chang and Chen left the court after paying the bail amount, but Yang was returned to detention, because he could not come up with the necessary funds.
Prosecutors indicted the four in October last year and requested a 30-year prison term for Wei, a 25-year prison term for Chang and 18-year sentences for Chen and Yang.
The indictment issued by the Changhua District Prosecutors’ Office, said Ting Hsin Oil and Fat in 2011 began to purchase substandard fats and oils intended for the manufacture of animal feed from Vietnam as a way to save on costs.
The deal was arranged by Chang, who advised Yang to fraudulently declare to Taiwanese customs agents that the imports were fit for human consumption, the investigation found.
Wei claimed that he was unaware of the details of the purchases.
Other netizens also lashed out at Wei’s bail, with one saying that “Wei’s release was timed perfectly after the [Nov. 29] nine-in-one elections were over.”
Another netizen said: “The nation's health is worth just NT$100 million. How cheap is that?”
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