The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday that its officials will seek access to a Taiwanese woman, Wang Yu-chao (
"We'll visit Wang at the Milan prison [where she is detained] as soon as possible to clarify the case," David Lin (林永樂), director general of the ministry's department of European affairs, told a press conference yesterday afternoon.
Lin said Wang's family contacted the ministry on Jan. 16, seeking assistance for Wang, who is being held at San Vittore prison in Milan.
"The Italian police detained Wang for allegedly paying her expenses with a counterfeit credit card," said Lin.
Ministry officials said Lin Chi-cheng (
"If necessary we'll also help Wang's family hire a lawyer to handle the case," Lin said.
According to Changhua County resident Wang Chiu-li (
Wang Chiu-li said she had last heard from her daughter on Jan. 4 and didn't know that she had been arrested until a letter arrived from Italy in the middle of the month. The letter contained a plea for help.
Lin said Wang's family has said that they can't afford to travel to Italy to see her because of the high airfare. He said they have also voiced concern about the estimated fee for hiring an Italian lawyer, saying it's too much for them to afford.
Lin said that, according to Wang's letter, she had bumped into a Mandarin-speaking man on a street in Milan who claimed he had been robbed and had just one credit card left. Then the man invited Wang to use his card and she said she had bought "cheap clothes and perfumes" amounting to NT$70,000.
Lin said that it is not yet known when Wang's case will go to court.
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