Lai Chun-chieh (賴俊傑), the owner of Yu Shen Chemical Co caught in the center of the tainted food scare, has expressed remorse, saying he would serve as a Department of Health volunteer and use his expertise to expose “black-hearted,” or heixin (黑心), products after his release, according to sources.
Heixin products refer to merchandise that is hazardous to public health.
Lai has also canceled his bail appeal that was initially scheduled for Tuesday.
Sources said that prosecutors, aside from accompanying Lai on a trip to the latter’s New Taipei City (新北市)-based factory on Monday to clarify a few points, were also investigating Lai’s assets.
Having been held in custody since May 20, Lai, whose company is alleged to have laced clouding agents with the chemical di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP, has been soothing his emotions everyday by chanting Buddhist scriptures, sources said.
Sources added Lai also revealed he is no longer concerned with mundane matters of wealth, saying “what should not be mine is not mine.”
Prosecutors said they have frozen the bank accounts and real-estate assets of Lai and his family members. On rumors that the Lai family has withdrawn money from these accounts, the Changhua District Prosecutors’ Office said that aside from an amount of NT$200,000 (US$6,950) kept for family use and to pay workers, the family deposited NT$4.2 million on Tuesday after Lai professed his wish to give up his assets.
PIN HAN PERFUMERY
Prosecutors, meanwhile, have also been investigating the assets of Pin Han Perfumery Co owner Chen Che-hsiung (陳哲雄) and his family.
Pin Han, based in Tucheng District (土城), New Taipei City, is alleged to have illegally added diisononyl phthalate, or DINP, to clouding agents.
Translated by Jake Chung, staff writer
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