The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said that it has launched an internal investigation to find the source of leaks, after reports that imprisoned tycoon Gary Wang (王令麟) had operated an “executive office” inside the Taipei Prison broke on Monday.
The Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported that Wang, former chairman of Eastern Multimedia Group (EMG), had allegedly bribed prison wardens to let him use a computer-training classroom at the prison.
Quoting a source who requested anonymity, the report said Wang used the classroom as an “executive office” to hold meetings with visiting EMG senior executives and continued to manage company affairs.
The paper also said that Wang was initially in a cell with five other inmates, but was moved to a two or three-person cell after the alleged bribes.
Taipei Prison officials denied the allegations, telling reporters yesterday that Wang did not have any special privileges.
Wang was incarcerated on Nov. 1 last year and was assigned work duties at the prison library, prison officials said, adding that the computer-training classroom is not in the same place as the library and inmates cannot move around freely inside the prison.
The Liberty Times report said that Wang’s alleged bribery allowed him to behave like a boss inside the prison.
It said he was able to use a mobile phone along with other contraband smuggled in during visits, which are permitted twice a week.
The report quoted other prisoners and staff saying that Wang was well taken care of by top officials, who granted him many special privileges.
According to the source, Wang once had a personal dispute with a staff member, but instead of Wang being punished for insubordination, the staff member was transferred to another section of the prison.
The news report also listed amounts of money allegedly paid out for different favors Wang requested, including NT$20,000 for passing a message from family members to an inmate, and other amounts for smuggling in a mobile phone, electronic devices, cigarettes and pornography according to requests from inmates.
Several prison officials, including Green Island Prison warden Su Ching-chun (蘇清俊), a former Taipei Prison deputy warden; Taichung Prison deputy warden Chao Chung-chih (趙崇智) and Taipei Prison management section director Chou Ping-jung (周秉榮), were implicated in the bribery scandal and are being held incommunicado as the judicial probe continued yesterday.
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