The Taipei District Court yesterday overruled a request from prosecutors to remand KMT legislator Gary Wang (王令麟) into custody and released the business tycoon on bail of NT$15 million.
The court decision followed a lengthy hearing on the propriety of detaining Wang, who has been charged with breach of trust and forgery in connection with a land deal.
In an unusual display of emotion, angry prosecutors lashed out at the court, claiming it was shielding the rich and powerful Wang despite what they claimed was damning evidence against the tycoon.
PHOTO: LEE HUNG-MING, THE LIBERTY TIMES
"Did the judge examine the papers at all? How are we going to fight against `black gold' with such reckless judges?" asked Weng Hung?tsai (
"Had we not obtained solid evidence, we wouldn't have made such a brave move to request the detention of a business tycoon who is also a legislator," Weng said.
The prosecutors said, however, that they would appeal the District Court's ruling to the High Court.
Once the Legislative Yuan opens its new session on Sept. 1, prosecutors will be barred from detaining Wang unless they first obtain the approval of the legislative body.
Wang, vice chairman of the Rebar Group (力霸集團), also acts as chairman of several subsidiary companies of the group, including Eastern Multimedia Group and Far Eastern Silo & Shipping (FESS, 遠倉公司).
Following its initial investigation into two suspicious land deals by FESS, the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office has accused Wang of pocketing around NT$400 million by inflating the value of the land in question.
Following a questioning session on Friday afternoon, prosecutors charged Wang and detained him into custody and filed a request to the court for Wang's remand.
Given the significance and complexities of the case, the judge hearing the request spent five hours examining the papers presented by the prosecutor before opening the hearing on the detention.
At around 5:30am yesterday, the judge overruled the request to detain Wang into custody, saying that Wang would be released on bail of NT$15 million but would be barred from leaving the country and would not be allowed to change his current residence.
Before walking out of the court, Wang made a statement pleading his innocence.
"I believe everyone is equal before the law, and I've never used my privilege of immunity as a legislator. I have great respect for the independence of the judiciary and I believe I'll be proved innocent in the end," Wang said.
The prosecution, in seeking to detain Wang, argued that Wang might collaborate with others involved and thus hamper the continuing investigation of the case.
However, the court determined the evidence the prosecutor presented was not sufficient to prove Wang had acquired the NT$400 million in question by illicit means. Instead, it found credible Wang's argument that the money was paid back by his debtors and had nothing to do with the land deals.
Wang the eighth person charged in the land deal scandal. The others accused include three officials of the Taiwan Development and Trust Corporation (TDTC,
Wang is a three-term legislator who has served on the legislature's powerful finance committee. As the chairman of Eastern Multimedia, Wang is a major player among Taiwan's cable TV operators.
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