Prosecutor Chen Cheng-ta (
The three were in cahoots in the framing of two men, both surnamed Shi, for arms smuggling, with the purpose of securing a lucrative reward from the Ministry of Justice for confiscating illegal weapons, according to Kaoshiung District Court spokesman Lin Shui-cheng (
The Ministry of Justice immediately announced the Chen was suspended from his position.
The Kaohsiung District Court previously ruled that Tsai and Chao had falsely accused the two men surnamed Shi of smuggling a large number of weapons into Taiwan from the Philippines. During the court's investigation, Tsai and Chao's statements implicated Chen in the crime as well. But Chen has maintained that he did not knowingly charge the two men wrongly, and has said he had nothing to do with the scandal.
Chen, who has worked for the prosecutor's office for more than 10 years, was taken into custody by his own colleagues.
Chao's brother, Chao Pei-shen (趙培盛), is a known Kaohsiung-based gangster involved in smuggling rings. He was previously indicted for smuggling arms into Taiwan, but fled the country after getting wind of the indictment, according to prosecutors.
The current scandal dates back to 2003, when Chen, Chao Pei-liang and Tsai claimed they had "tracked down" cargo at Kaohsiung harbor containing 50 guns and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition, and arrested the first man surnamed Shi.
Later that year, the trio "discovered" another 49 guns and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition at a nearby fishing harbor, and arrested another man surnamed Shi.
Chen indicted the two Shis for smuggling, and the three then applied for a hefty reward offered by the Ministry of Justice for confiscating illegal arms.
The ministry never paid out the reward, however, as an investigation into the charges was launched.
Prosecutors suspect that gangsters may have provided Chen, Tsai and Chao Pei-liang with guns and ammunition to help them bolster the bogus charges against the Shis.
Both men surnamed Shi provided evidence to the court to prove they were innocent, but their cases are still pending.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
Passengers on Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) will be required to use headphones and make phone calls in gangways under new “quiet travel” rules starting Sept. 22. THSR Chairman Shih Che (史哲) told media that THSR will run a three-month promotional campaign to ensure widespread adoption of the new rules. Those repeatedly ignoring the guidance face the potential termination of their transport contract, which can result in them getting escorted off the train, according to THSR. Shih shared his hope to cultivate an environment conducive to rest and reading for the train’s passengers, stating that these changes aim to “promote self-discipline” among passengers
RSS