Excerpts from the 940-page indictment against a fugitive tycoon will be translated into English for delivery to the US in a drive to bring the suspect to justice, a Taipei prosecutor said yesterday.
Chuang Cheng (莊正), the head prosecutor in the Rebar Asia Pacific Group scandal, made the remarks after indicting the group's founder Wang You-theng (王又曾) for a spate of alleged financial crimes, including insider trading, embezzlement of corporate funds, accounting fraud and money laundering.
Prosecutors are seeking a 30-year prison sentence for Wang, as well as a record high fine of NT$1.71 billion (US$52.13 million).
Wang, who fled Taiwan before the investigation into the Rebar Group scandal began in January, has been held at an immigration detention center outside Los Angeles since Feb. 2, pending a decision by the US immigration court on whether to deport him back to Taiwan. Wang made his second appearance in immigration court on Wednesday.
Taiwan has tried in vain to persuade the US government to repatriate Wang so that the octogenarian can stand trial for a series of crimes he has allegedly committed during his long career.
In the wake of Wang's indictment, Chuang said the US government may reconsider Taiwan's request for Wang's repatriation as the accusations against him have become more convincing.
Moreover, the indictment accuses Wang of leading Rebar Group affiliates in large-scale money laundering over a lengthy period involving a sum well over NT$57 billion (about US$1.73 billion).
An additional US$147.05 million that the Wang family had allegedly raked in through other criminal operations was also listed in the indictment as evidence of the family's offshore money laundering activity.
Noting that money laundering has been a priority target in international efforts to combat crime, Chuang said the US has been very sensitive to the risks of money laundering since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York in 2001.
"If we can furnish US authorities with evidence of Wang's direct involvement in cross-border money laundering, it will be a valuable bargaining chip in securing Wang's return," Chuang said, adding that the English excerpts to be sent to the US will focus on Wang's supposed leading role in money laundering operations.
Also indicted in the case were Wang's wife -- Wang Chin She-ying (
Wang and his wife, who fled to China shortly before the scandals broke and later flew to the US, were put on a most wanted list on Jan. 15.
They left the US in late January for Myanmar via Singapore, but were forced to go back to the US after Singapore denied them entry at Taiwan's request. While his wife, with a valid US passport, managed to enter the US upon arrival on Feb. 2, Wang has since that time been held at the center in San Pedro in suburban Los Angeles.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
SOVEREIGNTY: The rigs show that Beijing ‘rejects Taiwan’s jurisdiction’ by building in areas where Taipei demands permission to build or alter installations Chinese oil rigs have been sighted just 26 nautical miles (42km), from Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙島), posing a threat to Taiwan’s sovereignty if left unchallenged, a brief published by the Jamestown Foundation on Tuesday said. Pratas Island, 444km from Kaohsiung, is northeast of the South China Sea and houses a Taiwanese garrison. The brief, titled “Rigging the Game: PRC Oil Structures Encroach on Taiwan’s Pratas Island” — referring to the People’s Republic of China — analyzed photographs and said that Beijing’s tools to pressure Taiwan now include oil rigs. “Oil rigs now constitute part of Beijing’s
The Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP) has funded short-term internships in Taiwan for more than 4,500 young people from more than 40 countries since 2015, with the goal of attracting and retaining international talent, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. Fifty-five colleges launched 514 projects this year, including in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, medicine and biotechnology, green energy, and sustainability, it said. The program provides research and practical internships in Taiwan for two to six months, and offers cultural exchange and networking opportunities, the ministry said. For example, National Formosa University’s Embedded System and Autopilot Laboratory developed two solar-powered drones in
RSS