Three eastern Europeans suspected of involvement in the theft of NT$83.27 million (US$2.63 million at the current exchange rate) from First Commercial Bank (第一銀行) automated teller machines (ATMs) in July were yesterday indicted on fraud charges as the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office wrapped up its two-month investigation into the heist.
Taipei Deputy Chief Prosecutor Chang Chieh-chin (張介欽) said his office has asked for 12-year prison terms for the three men: Andrejs Peregudovs, 41, from Latvia; Niklae Penkov, 34, from Moldova; and Mihail Colibaba, 30, from Romania
Long sentences were needed because the hacking of the bank’s computer networks to plant malware had resulted in serious damage to the nation’s financial and banking systems, and created a public panic, Chang said.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
The July theft was the first time Taiwan has suffered such a hacking attack, although they have been prevalent in Europe, and the attack was sophisticated, with detailed planning and a systematic division of labor involving people from several countries, Chang said.
“The three suspects did not cooperate during the investigation, were deceitful, evasive in answering questions, denied involvement in the theft, and did not admit to participating in the collection and transportation of the stolen money. We therefore request the court impose a 12-year term for each of them,” Chang said, reading from the indictment.
The three men were also charged with violating several provisions of the Criminal Code, Chang said, citing Article 339-2: “A person who for purpose to exercise unlawful control over other’s property for himself or for a third person takes property of another through an ATM.”
The other articles are 358, 359, 360, and 362, he said.
A total of NT$77.48 million was recovered, and prosecutors have asked the court to confiscate the money, he said.
In related news, the Financial Supervisory Commission yesterday fined First Commercial Bank NT$10 million and temporarily suspended its card-less withdrawal service.
The investigation by police and computer technicians found the gang behind the theft had targeted the bank’s vulnerable ProCash 1500-model ATMs, which are manufactured by Wincor Nixdorf, a German firm.
The gang implanted malware in the bank’s server to allow the ATMs to discharge cash via remote control through a telnet connection with the bank’s branch office in London.
CLOSURES: Several forest recreation areas have been closed as a precaution, while some ferry and flight services have been suspended or rescheduled A land warning for Tropical Storm Danas was issued last night at 8:30pm, as the storm’s outer bands began bringing heavy rain to southeastern regions, including Hualien and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島), according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). As of 9:15pm, the storm was approximately 330km west-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, moving north-northeast at 10-20kph, the CWA reported. A sea warning had already been issued at 8:30am yesterday. The storm had maximum sustained winds near its center of 83kph, with gusts of up to 108kph, according to the CWA. As of 9:30pm last night, Kaohsiung, Tainan,
POWERFUL DETERRENT: Precision fire and dispersed deployment of units would allow Taiwanese artillery to inflict heavy casualties in an invasion, a researcher said The nation’s military has boosted its self-defense capability with the establishment of a new company equipped with the US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). The company, part of the army’s 58th Artillery Command, is Taiwan’s first HIMARS unit. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄), who presided over the formation ceremony in Taichung on Friday, called the unit a significant addition to the nation’s defensive strength, saying it would help deter adversaries from starting a war. The unit is made up of top-performing soldiers who received training in the US, according to the Ministry of National Defense. The HIMARS can be equipped with
STRONG WINDS: Without the Central Mountain Range as a shield, people should be ready for high-speed winds, CWA weather forecaster Liu Yu-chi said Danas was yesterday upgraded to a typhoon and could grow stronger as it moves closely along the nation’s west coastline, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Hsinchu and Chiayi cities, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Nantou, Chiayi, Penghu and Pingtung counties have canceled work and school today. Work and school in Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan, and Yilan, Taitung, Hualien, Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties would continue as usual, although offices and schools would be closed in Taoyuan’s Luju (蘆竹), Dayuan (大園), Guangyin (觀音) and Sinwu (新屋) districts. As of 5pm yesterday, the typhoon’s
UNILATERAL: The move from China’s aviation authority comes despite a previous 2015 agreement that any changes to flight paths would be done by consensus The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday slammed Beijing for arbitrarily opening the M503 flight route’s W121 connecting path, saying that such unilateral conduct disrespected the consensus between both sides and could destabilize the Taiwan Strait and the wider region. The condemnation came after the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) earlier yesterday announced it “has activated the W121 connecting path of the M503 flight route,” meaning that west-to-east flights are now permitted along the path. The newly activated west-to-east route is intended to “alleviate the pressure caused by the increase of flights,” China’s state-run Xinhua news agency quoted China’s Taiwan Affairs Office
RSS