A Chinese woman found guilty in a first ruling on charges related to her alleged involvement in underground remittances and in funneling money to a former diabolo instructor as part of an espionage operation has been detained to prevent her from fleeing the country.
Tian Xi (田曦) was previously sentenced to eight years in prison and banned from leaving the country for fraud, money laundering and contravening the Banking Act (銀行法) for illegal foreign exchange maneuvering.
The Taipei District Court placed Tian, who was awaiting an appeal of her sentence, under judicial detention given the likelihood she could attempt to flee the country.
Photo: Wang Meng-lun, Taipei Times
The travel ban was about to expire and the National Immigration Agency and Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau were considering rescinding her permanent residency status, which she obtained in 2022.
Taipei prosecutors in November 2023 indicted her and diabolo instructor Lu Chi-hsien (魯紀賢) for allegedly developing a Chinese-funded espionage organization.
Tian allegedly used underground remittances to funnel more than NT$5.7 million (US$186,092 at the current exchange rate) to Lu, his indictment said.
Prosecutors said that Tian had made transfers totaling NT$194.17 million using underground remittances, while making NT$4.15 million in profit.
It was her second conviction, after she was in July 2020 given a 20-month suspended sentence and three years of probation related to charges of laundering money for a criminal group.
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