Authorities at the Port of Kaohsiung on Tuesday conducted raids on five warships at Tsoying Naval Base, confiscating documents and other items, and taking five naval officers in for questioning as part of a judicial probe into a major corruption scandal in the Republic of China (ROC) Navy.
Naval personnel are alleged to have colluded with contractors to siphon off diesel from ship fuel tanks to sell on the black market.
A total of 21 individuals were taken in following the raids, which were supported by military police units.
After questioning, four contractors and a petty officer, surnamed Chen (陳), were detained.
The rest were released on bail of between NT$50,000 (US$1,600) and NT$100,000.
Other navy officials allegedly caught up in the scandal and being questioned included a chief petty officer surnamed Chiu (邱), a junior grade lieutenant surnamed Tseng (曾) and a first class petty officer surnamed Lai (賴), who are all responsible for fuel supply of their respective ships.
A Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office spokeman said investigators had discovered that Chen was allegedly engaging in a recent illegal transaction that saw 9,600 liters of diesel, with an estimated value of NT$2 million, siphoned from a naval ship by a contractor surnamed Kuo (郭).
The ship was said to be the Cheng Kung-class No. 1105 Ji Kuang Frigate, a modified US Oliver Hazard Perry-class warship, on which Chen was serving as petty officer responsible for the fuel supply.
A probe into corruption in the navy began last year after the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office received a tip-off from an informer.
The prosecutors coordinated with the military investigation unit and the police to monitor the suspected illegal activities involving five warships.
According to prosecutors, the businesspeople involved are contractors who secured bids for cleaning warship fuel tanks to remove sediments and chemical precipitates — a process that is conducted on a regular basis throughout the year.
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