A Christian service was held yesterday for navy Captain Yin Ching-feng (尹清楓), who was killed 14 years ago in a murder associated with the Lafayette frigate procurement scandal, with his family hoping the nation will uncover the truth behind the murder.
"President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) promised to find out the truth behind the murder and the Lafayette scandal, and my family hopes President Chen will work hard on this matter during the remaining months of his tenure," Yin Ching-feng's widow, Li Mei-kuei (李美葵), said yesterday at the ceremony.
Following Yin's death in late 1993, Li and Yin's father, Yin Duo (尹鐸), traveled the country collecting information to try to solve the mystery of Yin's death, but to no avail.
Li said she stopped the probe seven years ago and now believes that God can help the family find out the truth and bring justice.
The Christian ceremony was held in a church in Taipei yesterday morning.
Yin's body was found floating along the coast near Suao (蘇澳) on Dec. 10, 1993, by fishermen and his body was buried in Kaohsiung County after the completion of an autopsy.
Yin's family had hoped to arrange a cremation and for his ashes to be kept in a Taipei cemetery, but the special investigation panel in charge of the case refused because the investigation into the case was still ongoing.
Yin's family yesterday were finally able to bring Yin's ashes in a urn up to Taipei and settle them in a columbarium.
Yin's murder, thought to be associated with the Lafayette frigate procurement scandal, remains unsolved after 14 years. Yin is widely believed to have been about to blow the whistle on colleagues who were taking kickbacks from the deal.
The government's original plan in 1988 was to purchase South Korean-made frigates, but then decided in 1990 to purchase the French-made Lafayette frigates instead.
Several naval officials were indicted for their involvement in the case, but prosecutors were still unable to discover who the mastermind behind the arms deal was and who else had received kickbacks.
Andrew Wang (汪傳浦) -- a key suspect in the kickback scandal -- fled the country following Yin's murder.
All of Wang and his family's bank accounts have since been frozen by the Swiss Federal Court.
Wang was indicted by prosectors in absentia on charges of murder, corruption, money laundering and fraud.
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