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Terror funding amendment passed

The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed an amendment to the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法) that makes financial support for terrorism a criminal offense, a move that meets the requirements of the Egmont Group, an international organization of financial intelligence units.

The amendment states that those who give financial assistance to terrorist organizations or their members will be sentenced to a maximum of seven years' imprisonment or fined a maximum of NT$10 million (US$302,000).

Taiwan, a member of Egmont Group under the name "Money Laundering Prevention Center (MLPC), Taiwan" since 1998, was asked to enact legislation on the financing of terrorism to enhance cooperation in anti-terrorist activity, Vice Minister of Justice Chu Nan (朱楠) said before the legislation passed.

After the legislation passed, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator You Ching (尤清) said the law would help Taiwan protect its status in the international organization as China has been planning to join the group and lobby for Taiwan's name to be changed to "MLPC, Chinese Taipei."

The Act stipulates that money-laundering activities totaling more than NT$5 million would face heavier sentences. The threshold has been lowered from NT$20 million. It requires that domestic financial institutions report any transfers exceeding NT$5 million to the Ministry of Justice's Investigation Bureau.

The legislature yesterday also approved an amendment to the Law of Compensation for Wrongful Detentions and Executions (冤獄賠償法).

The amendment will allow people who are handed "wrongful" sentences under various laws to apply for compensation.

The amount of compensation for those wrongly sentenced to death has been significantly increased in the amendment. Previously between NT$5 million and NT$ 10 million, the new range is NT$10 million to NT$30 million.

An amendment to the Employment Services Act (就業服務法) also cleared the floor yesterday, extending the maximum stay for immigrant laborers from six years to nine years.

DPP Legislator Wang Shin-nan (王幸男), who introduced the amendment, said the extension would help employers to reduce personnel costs as they would be able to retain the services of immigrant laborers who were familiar with their work for an additional three years.

An amendment to the Animal Protection Law (動物保護法) aimed at tightening protection for animals by making animal abuse a crime also passed the legislature.

Any person convicted of harassing, abusing, harming or abandoning an animal, leading to injury or death, may now be sentenced to up to one year in prison.
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