A Spanish fugitive wanted in a multi-million euro fraud case has been deported to an undisclosed country in the EU, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) said on Sunday, ending a 10-day legal saga that began with an Italian news report alleging he was living in Taipei.
The suspect, Salvador Alejandro Llinas Onate, left Taiwan after completing deportation procedures and was accompanied by NIA officials to his departing flight, the agency said in a statement.
Llinas Onate was initially deported to Singapore on Saturday night, only to be denied entry on grounds that he is wanted by the Interpol.
Photo: CNA
He was flown back to Taiwan early on Sunday, but was not allowed to re-enter the country and had to be held in an NIA holding area at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport while the government scrambled to resolve the case.
“Following consultations with EU legal authorities, it was decided that Llinas Onate should be deported as quickly as possible to an EU member state,” the NIA said in a statement.
The country where Llinas Onate arrives would then make a decision about sending him to Spain to face legal proceedings, it said.
Taiwan does not have direct flights to Spain.
Llinas Onate, who ran a rental car company in Trento, northern Italy, is accused of allegedly illegally selling about 1,180 vehicles that did not belong to him in 2019 before fleeing to Taiwan, a Taipei immigration official said.
He allegedly rented cars without paying and sold them to unsuspecting buyers, foreign media have reported.
The 48-year-old allegedly earned about 30 million euros (US$32.5 million) in profit through the scheme, international media reported.
His car rental firm declared bankruptcy in 2019 and he vanished not long afterward.
Llinas Onate is wanted by Spanish and Italian judicial authorities over the matter, the NIA said.
Taiwanese news media reported that Llinas Onate obtained permanent residency in 2021 after entering the country via a dependent visa, and has run five companies in Taiwan, including two high-end restaurants in a prime district in Taipei.
The NIA has not released further information about the case nor explained whether they were aware Llinas Onate was wanted by Interpol when they granted him permanent residency.
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