The Hsinchu District Prosecutors' Office has named the top executive at leading chipmaker United Microelectronics Corp (UMC,
UMC chairman Robert Tsao (
"We have to give the defendants a chance to speak for themselves in the investigations, so if the need arises, we will subpoena [Tsao] and [Hsuan]" Tsai told reporters yesterday.
In addition to Tsao and Hsuan, 23 others have also been identified as defendants in the case, Tsai said.
UMC, the world's No. 2 contract chipmaker, is suspected of illegally investing in, transferring technology to, or exchanging engineers with Chinese semiconductor start-up He Jian Technology Co (和艦) in Suzhou. The government restricts chipmakers' investments in China and requires that companies apply for permission before going ahead with such projects.
More than 180 investigators searched the homes and offices of UMC vice chairman John Hsuan (宣明智) and He Jian chairman Hsu Chien-hwa (徐建華) last month, and confiscated a large amount of account information and digital data. Hsu had been previously detained by prosecutors before being released on bail of NT$10 million.
"In general, we will seek evidence first before contacting involved individuals," Tsai said.
Prosecutors began another round of interrogations on Wednesday and have so far summoned five engineers from He Jian for questioning. They were slated to summon another two yesterday.
UMC, however, told the Liberty Times that it was not aware that Tsao had been formally listed as a defendant in the case but that it would respect the prosecutors' investigation. It further stated that whether an employee had quit UMC to join He Jian was the employee's choice. He Jian was founded in 2001 by former UMC employees, including Hsu.
According to the report, Tsao was not listed as a defendant in the case until Feb. 25 when stockholders filed a civil suit against him and Hsu on charges of breach of trust. The prosecutor's office had subsequently combined the two cases against Tsao and put him on the list of defendants in the case. Hsu and Hsuan were on the prosecutors' original list of defendants.
Tsao has denied any legal wrongdoing in the matter, saying UMC never illegally transferred capital, technology or human resources to He Jian.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS