Taipei prosecutors yesterday detained one police officer, while six other suspects were released on bail after questioning in connection with the discovery of a major underground gambling operation in the Wanhua District (萬華) and a bribery scandal at the Wanhua Police Precinct.
Police sergeant Yen Hua-yu (嚴華郁) was being held incommunicado.
The prosecutors said in a statement that Yen was being held incommunicado because of evidence indicating his involvement in taking bribes from the operator of a gambling den.
Yen and fellow officer Chiang Jen-tso (江仁佐) were detained on Wednesday during a raid by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office.
Yen and Chiang are suspected of receiving bribes from gambling den owner Lin Shih-chieh (林士傑) — as much as NT$3 million (US$95,200) in the past year alone.
Prosecutors said Yen took up to NT$10,000 for each day the gambling den was in operation.
He allegedly alerted the gambling operation to potential police raids by using messaging app Line to send coded messages such as: “It is cold today. You should take a rest.”
Investigators said they found more than NT$2 million in cash at Lin’s house and said he had admitted paying “public relations fees” to police officers.
Prosecutors said that Yen and Chiang denied taking bribes, but said they had borrowed money from Lin that they were to pay back later.
Chiang and six other suspects were released after posting bail, with the amounts running from NT$50,000 to NT$200,000.
The seventh man questioned, surnamed Chuang (莊), is suspected of acting as the go-between who handed over the payments to police.
The Taipei City Police Department said it would await the final results of the prosecutors’ investigation before taking action, if warranted, against the two officers.
“We will cooperate with prosecutors probing this case. When the results of the judicial investigation are known, if the officers are detained and charged, they will be suspended from their jobs,” the department said in a statement.
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