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MOJ refuses comment on freezing Wang's accounts
CNA
, TAIPEI
Friday, Apr 04, 2003, Page 3
The Ministry of Justice kept mum yesterday on newspaper reports that investigators have asked foreign authorities to freeze fugitive Andrew Wang's (¨L¶Ç·Á) bank accounts.
Wang an arms broker who fled the country in 1993 and has been wanted since September 2000 for suspected involvement in an alleged kickback scandal in connection with the purchase of six Lafeyette frigates from France in 1991 and the subsequent murder of a navy captain in 1993.
According to a newspaper report Wang and his son, Wang Chia-hsing (¨L®a¿³), might have bank accounts with deposits totaling US$100 million in Liechtenstein and the Cayman Islands.
The paper said the special investigative team probing the Lafayette-kickback scandal has made emergency requests to the relevant foreign authorities to freeze the Wangs' accounts pending investigations.
Responding the report, ministry officials said current law forbids them from making any comments on any criminal cases being pursued.
"So long as we have any leads about the Lafayette case, we'll investigate them regardless of the status or identity of any suspects involved," said a ministry official.
Swiss have frozen Wang's accounts at a Swiss bank. The accounts reportedly contained more than US$500 million in slush funds suspected of being kickbacks from the Lafayette frigates deal.
Investigators have secured information about Wang's bank accounts from Swiss authorities which was helpful in tracking the movements of his funds.
Meanwhile, the official said, the ministry will continue to push for judicial assistance agreements with other countries to facilitate crime solving, something that has been hindered in many cases by the absence of diplomatic ties.
"Now that the United States has signed a judicial assistance accord, we think it will benefit our bid to negotiate similar pacts with other countries," the official said.
"We have also asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to negotiate similar agreements with countries that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan," he added.
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