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Prosecutors put the spotlight on Pung's dilemma

At a press conference held on Sunday, well-known actor Pung Chia-chia displays all the drugs he has been taking for depression. PHOTO: HUANG PO-CHUN, TAIPEI TIMES

Taipei prosecutors yesterday launched an investigation into the alleged blackmailing of well-known actor Pung Chia-chia (澎恰恰) by gangsters who claim that they are in possession of a VCD recording of Pung having sex with an unknown woman.

Pung -- an actor, host of a popular TV variety show and pop music composer -- last week suddenly quit his job as show host and actor in a drama at SANLIH Entertainment Television (三立電視).

Pung said he has suffered from serious depression and had to disappear from public for a while.

However, local media have been speculating that Pung decided to leave show business because he had been taped having sex with a woman last year, and the VCD ended up in the hands of gangsters.

According to media reports, the gangsters asked Pung to pay NT$33 million (US$1 million) for not making the recording public and creating a scandal.

Local media alleged that although Pung had paid the blackmail amount, mediators between Pung and the gangsters pocketed some of the money and because of the gangsters' greed, Pung ended up paying a total of NT$90 million late last year.

Chinese-language newspapers further alleged that one of the men who threatened Pung was gangster-turned-businessman Lu Chao-chin (盧照琴), who used to top the list of Taiwan's most wanted criminals and had twice been sentenced to death for murder.

It has been alleged that the unnamed woman who had sex with Pung in the recording is Lu's niece -- a young actress -- but she denied to reporters that she ever had sex with him.

Pung on Sunday held a press conference admitting to the blackmail.

"I was secretly filmed while masturbating on a bed after I drank alcohol and took Flunitrazepam (FM2) pills," Pung said.

"The rumor alleging I was filmed having sex with a woman is a fabrication," he said.

However, he refused to reveal how much money he had paid to the blackmailers, where the VCD was and who the blackmailers were.

Pung also said he at first did not want to report the matter to police or accuse anyone, because this would not have helped him resolve the problem.

However, Taipei Prosecutor's Office spokesman Lin Pang-liang (林邦樑) yesterday said prosecutors have launched an investigation into the matter.

"Prosecutors have the responsibility to probe the alleged blackmail because Pung is a public figure and what the media has reported on are crimes," Lin said.

He said that prosecutors will summon Pung for questioning, and hopefully he will tell them who the blackmailers are.

Lin said that whoever blackmailed Pung would be charged with the crimes of obtaining property by threat and deprivation of freedom of movement, as well as offenses relating to the protection of secrets.
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