Actor-turned-restaurateur Shao Hsin (邵昕) and a print reporter were released on bail early yesterday morning after being summoned by prosecutors on suspicion of illegal stock trading and making a profit from the illegal trading.
Shao was summoned for questioning by investigators on Friday and was released early yesterday on bail of NT$150,000 (US$5,000) by Taipei prosecutors
“I came here to help investigators clear up some matters,” Shao said as he was entering the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office.
Former Chinese Television System anchor Chen Hsin-hung (陳信宏), who is now a reporter with the Chinese-language Commons Daily, was released on NT$80,000 bail.
Prosecutors also summoned Tao Huan-chang (陶煥昌), a reporter with the Chinese-language United Evening News, and two of his brothers for questioning.
According to Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office spokesman Huang Mo-hsin (黃謀信), a total of 15 people were summoned on Friday, but the Tao bothers and a main suspect, Chou Ting (周鼎), did not appear.
Huang said they were suspected of illegally manipulating stocks of a local company, CyberPower Systems.
Shao, Chen and the Tao brothers allegedly conspired with several stock-manipulating investors to illegally trade CyberPower stocks between March and August, Huang said.
Chou, who was on the wanted list and had fled the country for 12 years, was arrested by judicial authorities in December last year and was released on bail during his trial.
It was suspected that Chou was the ringleader, Huang said.
Huang said that as the group wanted the company’s stock price to rise, they had the Commons Daily publish a story alleging that CyberPower was making good progress and that its stock was very valuable.
The group may have profited by about NT$800 million during the period in question, Huang said.
The United Evening News said on Friday evening that Tao Huan-chang had been suspended.
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