The National Immigration Agency’s (NIA) specialized operation brigade in New Taipei City yesterday said that it has arrested 18 people for allegedly bringing in more than 100 Chinese nationals under the false pretense of business travel.
The head of the operation, a Chinese person surnamed Zhang (張), allegedly recruited three Taiwanese to find 10 shell companies in Taiwan, including those established by firms, pre-owned car dealers and travel agencies, a preliminary investigation by the NIA showed.
Zhang then fabricated invitations to business events and filed applications for entry permits on behalf of his Chinese clients, according to the agency’s investigation.
Photo: Lu Yun-feng, Taipei Times
If a client succeeded in obtaining the permit to enter Taiwan, the agent would receive NT$5,000 (US$170) and the shell company would get NT$2,000, the agency said.
Since June last year, Zhang’s group has assisted 120 Chinese to travel to Taiwan as business travelers, collecting at least NT$5 million in revenue, the agency found.
A source familiar with the case said that Zhang charged his clients NT$15,000 to NT$45,000 per person for filing entry permit applications on their behalf, adding that each was also asked to pay an additional NT$50,000 as a performance bond.
For clients who failed to obtain entry permits, Zhang would produce false receipts, telling them that a full refund was not possible, as they were fined by the NIA, the source said.
The NIA only charges Chinese nationals NT$600 per person for entry permits, the source said.
The brigade yesterday said that it collected evidence between the end of last year and April, and arrested 18 suspects.
The case is being handled by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for suspicion of forgery and contravening the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), it said.
Prosecutors ordered Zhang and a Taiwanese surnamed Lu (盧) to be detained incommunicado and be restricted from leaving the country.
Individuals or corporations seeking to invite Chinese to come to Taiwan for business must file entry permit applications on their behalf, the NIA said, adding that their applications would be reviewed by regulatory authorities before being verified by the agency.
Last year, 13,750 Chinese professionals and business travelers were denied entry due to irregularities found in their applications, the agency said.
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