Kaohsiung police last week busted a money laundering operation suspected of seeking to interfere in tomorrow’s local elections.
The operation was allegedly headed by a man surnamed Lee (李), who had received NT$9.5 billion (US$306.18 million) from China over the past six months, Kaohsiung police said yesterday, adding that Lee’s ring is suspected to be part of a larger Chinese effort to interfere in the elections and support pro-China candidates.
Officers arrested Lee, 35, and his girlfriend, searched his mansion, and seized the money he had allegedly received from China and three luxury vehicles, police said.
Photo courtesy of Kaohsiung police
The operation was disguised as an online gambling and betting site, police said, adding that they had surveilled Lee for several months after an investigation into an earlier money laundering case indicated that he is engaging in illegal activities.
Lee would be charged with contravening the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法), police said.
His communications records showed that he had contacts in China, who are suspected to be behind the fund transfers, police said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
Photo courtesy of Kaohsiung police
The purpose of the transfers remains unclear, as does the identity of those involved in China, police said.
Lee’s operation might also be connected to rings uncovered earlier this year that had allegedly received large sums of money from Chinese operatives, they said.
Earlier this month, police searched a house owned by a couple in Taichung, where they seized NT$17 billion, allegedly originating in China, and four luxury vehicles in one of the largest such raids this year.
Prosecutor Chan Chang-hui (詹常輝) said the couple’s online gaming site allegedly also offered illicit banking and foreign remittance services, which were used by illegal gambling sites in China.
They might also have had links to Chinese government agencies seeking to interfere in the local elections, Chan said.
Prosecutors are working to “combat illegal Chinese money transfers to Taiwan,” Chan said, adding that this includes “cryptocurrencies, underground remittances and gaming proceeds.”
The Chinese government and its proxies had tried to interfere in previous elections by illegally funding the campaigns of pro-China candidates, Chan said, adding that this also involved illegal transfers to money laundering rings.
China also uses these strategies to destabilize Taiwan’s financial institutions and fund organized crime operations, as it seeks to undermine public safety in the nation, Chan said.
In the past, Beijing has helped pro-China candidates pay campaign expenses, including offices, vehicles, staff, printing costs, rallies and deposits for listing as candidates, Chan said.
It also funded candidates’ illegal vote-buying attempts, Chan added.
WARNING: People in coastal areas need to beware of heavy swells and strong winds, and those in mountainous areas should brace for heavy rain, the CWA said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued sea and land warnings for Typhoon Ragasa, forecasting that it would continue to intensify and affect the nation the most today and tomorrow. People in Hualien and Taitung counties, and mountainous areas in Yilan and Pingtung counties, should brace for damage caused by extremely heavy rain brought by the typhoon’s outer rim, as it was upgraded to a super typhoon yesterday morning, the CWA said. As of 5:30pm yesterday, the storm’s center was about 630km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving northwest at 21kph, and its maximum wind speed had reached
MATAIAN RIVER: Rescue operations were ongoing, with officials urging residents to move to higher floors where possible as teams focus first on those at ground level Floodwaters from the overflowing Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) barrier lake swept into Hualien County’s Guangfu Township (光復) yesterday afternoon, leaving hundreds of people trapped and three missing as of press time last night, the Hualien County Fire Bureau said. The waters surged into downtown Guangfu after the riverbank burst at about 2:50pm, carrying mud and debris and submerging streets to rooftop level in some areas. Residents were seen climbing onto vehicles and rooftops to await rescue as thick, silt-laden water inundated the town. The surge destroyed the Mataian Bridge (馬太鞍溪橋) and flooded the Guangfu Railway Station. Rescue operations were launched with support from fire departments
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said that it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Ragasa this morning and a land warning at night as it approached Taiwan. Ragasa intensified from a tropical storm into a typhoon at 8am yesterday, the CWA said, adding that at 2pm, it was about 1,110km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip. The typhoon was moving northwest at 13kph, with sustained winds of up to 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA Web site showed. Forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that Ragasa was projected to strengthen as it neared the Bashi Channel, with its 200km
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hualien and Taitung counties declared today a typhoon day, while schools and offices in parts of Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties are also to close Typhoon Ragasa was forecast to hit its peak strength and come closest to Taiwan from yesterday afternoon through today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Taiwan proper could be out of the typhoon’s radius by midday and the sea warning might be lifted tonight, it added. CWA senior weather specialist Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said that Ragasa’s radius had reached the Hengchun Peninsula by 11am yesterday and was expected to hit Taitung County and Kaohsiung by yesterday evening. Ragasa was forecast to move to Taiwan’s southern offshore areas last night and to its southwestern offshore areas early today, she added. As of 8pm last night,