Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Hsueh Ling (薛凌) and another 20 individuals were indicted yesterday by prosecutors for their involvement in an alleged loan scandal at the Sunny Bank.
The Shilin District Prosecutors' Office asked the Shilin District Court to sentence Hsueh, her husband Sunny Bank chairman Chen Shen-hung (陳勝宏), Hsueh Ling's brother Hsueh Tsung-hsien (薛宗賢) and Sunny Bank official Ho Ming-lung (何明龍) to nine years in jail, and to fine the four NT$10 million (US$300,000) each.
They are charged with violations of the Banking Act (
Chen is also a member of the DPP's Central Standing Committee.
Prosecutors suspect Sunny Bank made a number of illegal loans, worth at least NT$460 million.
Prosecutors suspect Hsueh Tsung-hsien bought a building from the Chinese-language Chunghwa Daily newspaper in Taipei for approximately NT$400 million. He is then alleged to have forged the contract, raising the sale price to NT$500 million.
Prosecutors believe Hsueh Tsung-hsien then took the forged contract to Sunny Bank and requested a loan against the deal.
Prosecutors suspect Hsueh Ling and her husband knew the contract was forged and that they conspired in authorizing the loan.
Prosecutors allege that the bank also granted Hsueh Tsung-hsien several other loans and that hun-dreds of millions of dollars of the bank's money had been embezzled by the Hsueh family.
The DPP said that it would submit the case to the party's internal Commission against Corruption to determine whether she had broken integrity rules.
DPP rules state that indicted party members will have their membership suspended if an indictment is related to corruption.
The couple rejected the indictment, saying they suspected the prosecutor had "ulterior motives" in bringing the charge against them. They didn't elaborate.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan
Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Saturday that she would not be intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), following reports that Chinese agents planned to ram her car during a visit to the Czech Republic last year. "I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety," Hsiao said on social media platform X. "The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community," she wrote. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic on March 18 last year as vice president-elect and met with Czech Senate leadership, including
There have been clear signs of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attempts to interfere in the nationwide recall vote on July 26 in support of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators facing recall, an unnamed government official said, warning about possible further actions. The CCP is actively involved in Taiwanese politics, and interference in the recall vote is to be expected, with multiple Chinese state media and TAO attempts to discredit the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and undermine public support of their recall movement, the official said. This interference includes a smear campaign initiated this month by a pro-Beijing Hong Kong news outlet against
A week-long exhibition on modern Tibetan history and the Dalai Lama’s global advocacy opened yesterday in Taipei, featuring quotes and artworks highlighting human rights and China’s ongoing repression of Tibetans, Hong Kongers and Uighurs. The exhibition, the first organized by the Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan (HRNTT), is titled “From the Snowy Ridges to the Ocean of Wisdom.” “It would be impossible for Tibetans inside Tibet to hold an exhibition like this — we can do it. because we live in a free and democratic country,” HRNTT secretary-general Tashi Tsering said. Tashi Tsering, a Taiwan-based Tibetan who has never
A first shipment of five tons of Taiwan tilapia was sent from Tainan to Singapore on Wednesday, following an order valued at NT$600,000 (US$20,500) placed with a company in the city. The products, including frozen whole fish and pre- cooked fish belly, were dispatched from Jiangjun Fishing Harbor, where a new aquatic processing and logistics center is under construction. At the launch, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) called the move a “breakthrough,” marking Taiwan’s expansion into the Singaporean tilapia market. Taiwan’s tilapia exports have traditionally focused on the United States, Canada, and the Middle East, Huang said, adding that the new foothold in