Three eastern Europeans suspected of involvement in the theft of NT$83.27 million (US$2.63 million at the current exchange rate) from First Commercial Bank (第一銀行) automated teller machines (ATMs) in July were yesterday indicted on fraud charges as the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office wrapped up its two-month investigation into the heist.
Taipei Deputy Chief Prosecutor Chang Chieh-chin (張介欽) said his office has asked for 12-year prison terms for the three men: Andrejs Peregudovs, 41, from Latvia; Niklae Penkov, 34, from Moldova; and Mihail Colibaba, 30, from Romania
Long sentences were needed because the hacking of the bank’s computer networks to plant malware had resulted in serious damage to the nation’s financial and banking systems, and created a public panic, Chang said.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
The July theft was the first time Taiwan has suffered such a hacking attack, although they have been prevalent in Europe, and the attack was sophisticated, with detailed planning and a systematic division of labor involving people from several countries, Chang said.
“The three suspects did not cooperate during the investigation, were deceitful, evasive in answering questions, denied involvement in the theft, and did not admit to participating in the collection and transportation of the stolen money. We therefore request the court impose a 12-year term for each of them,” Chang said, reading from the indictment.
The three men were also charged with violating several provisions of the Criminal Code, Chang said, citing Article 339-2: “A person who for purpose to exercise unlawful control over other’s property for himself or for a third person takes property of another through an ATM.”
The other articles are 358, 359, 360, and 362, he said.
A total of NT$77.48 million was recovered, and prosecutors have asked the court to confiscate the money, he said.
In related news, the Financial Supervisory Commission yesterday fined First Commercial Bank NT$10 million and temporarily suspended its card-less withdrawal service.
The investigation by police and computer technicians found the gang behind the theft had targeted the bank’s vulnerable ProCash 1500-model ATMs, which are manufactured by Wincor Nixdorf, a German firm.
The gang implanted malware in the bank’s server to allow the ATMs to discharge cash via remote control through a telnet connection with the bank’s branch office in London.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
CHAMPIONS: President Lai congratulated the players’ outstanding performance, cheering them for marking a new milestone in the nation’s baseball history Taiwan on Sunday won their first Little League Baseball World Series (LLBWS) title in 29 years, as Taipei’s Dong Yuan Elementary School defeated a team from Las Vegas 7-0 in the championship game in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It was Taiwan’s first championship in the annual tournament since 1996, ending a nearly three-decade drought. “It has been a very long time ... and we finally made it,” Taiwan manager Lai Min-nan (賴敏男) said after the game. Lai said he last managed a Dong Yuan team in at the South Williamsport in 2015, when they were eliminated after four games. “There is
Democratic nations should refrain from attending China’s upcoming large-scale military parade, which Beijing could use to sow discord among democracies, Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Shen You-chung (沈有忠) said. China is scheduled to stage the parade on Wednesday next week to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. The event is expected to mobilize tens of thousands of participants and prominently showcase China’s military hardware. Speaking at a symposium in Taichung on Thursday, Shen said that Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) recently met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a visit to New Delhi.
RSS