Taipei prosecutors have seized corporate shares held by a former National Security Bureau (NSB) official who has been at large for 22 years, and sold them to recover part of the NT$190 million (US$6.22 million) he is accused of embezzling, the Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office said.
Prosecutors were in 2021 granted permission to seize shares owned by former NSB payments section head Liu Kuan-chun (劉冠軍), as well as a luxury residence in the city’s Wenshan District (文山) owned by his wife, the office said on March 7.
Prosecutors seized shares Liu owned in four local companies: chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and United Microelectronics Corp (UMC), as well as DRAM chip supplier Winbond Electronics Corp and surveillance device maker Everspring Industry Co, it said.
Photo: Wu Cheng-feng, Taipei Times
They also seized jewelry and gold coins found in his wife’s safe, the office added.
Based on the companies’ closing prices on Feb. 19, 2021, Liu’s 208,309 TSMC shares were worth NT$130 million, his 190,837 UMC shares were worth NT$11.30 million, his 190,837 Winbond shares were worth NT$14.11 million, and his 99,858 Everspring shares were worth NT$1.96 million, it said.
Prosecutors last month received permission to dispose of the shares, the office said.
They sold them during five trading sessions last month, enabling them to recover NT$129 million, the office said.
However, a court ruled that the jewelry and gold coins could not be sold, as prosecutors could not prove that Liu obtained them illegally, it said.
Prosecutors have appealed the ruling.
Liu fled overseas in September 2000 after allegedly embezzling about NT$190 million of NSB funds allocated to secret government projects.
Authorities the same month issued a warrant for his arrest on money laundering and corruption charges.
Liu is also suspected of working for the Chinese government and engaging in espionage operations.
A renewed examination of the case by the High Prosecutors’ Office in 2021 showed that Liu could have passed on information about the secret projects for which he was responsible.
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