Prosecutors yesterday appealed the court’s decision to grant bail to Tu Yu-wen (?又文), a suspect in the Prince Group probe, and are tracking down another suspect, Hu Xiaowei (胡小偉).
The Prince Group, based in Cambodia, was sanctioned last month by the US for transnational fraud and money laundering involving Taiwanese nationals and companies.
Judicial authorities carried out raids on Tuesday, and seized more than NT$4.5 billion (US$144.95 million) in assets, including seven luxury cars.
Photo: Taipei Times
Twenty-five people were also taken in for questioning.
Taipei prosecutors applied to detain Tu, after a judge on Tuesday granted her a NT$300,000 bail.
The modest bail amount drew public backlash, as the case involved billions of dollars in illegal proceeds.
Tu is in charge of 11 Prince Group luxury apartments in the Peace Palace (和平大苑) in Taipei’s Daan District (大安), prosecutors said.
Prosecutors alleged that Hu is the second-in-command of Prince Group head Chen Zhi (陳志).
Hu came to Taiwan multiple times over the past few years to set up and supervise the group’s nine subsidiary firms, which are all in Taipei, they alleged.
Four key suspects in the case were detained with restricted communication, as the court found they were likely to collude and tamper with evidence.
They included Taiwan Skyline Worldwide executives Ku Shu-wen (辜淑雯) and Chiu Tzu-en (邱子恩), alleged head of several Prince Group firms Wang Yu-tang (王昱棠), as well as Lee Shou-li (李守禮), the assistant of Chen’s top aide, Li Tian (李添).
A preliminary probe found that Prince Group ran scam centers and online gambling schemes abroad, and laundered the illegal gains by purchasing properties and luxury cars, prosecutors said, adding that the group allegedly had links with major Taiwanese crime syndicates involved in financial and investment fraud schemes.
US President Donald Trump said "it’s up to" Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) what China does on Taiwan, but that he would be "very unhappy" with a change in the "status quo," the New York Times said in an interview published yesterday. Xi "considers it to be a part of China, and that’s up to him what he’s going to be doing," Trump told the newspaper on Wednesday. "But I’ve expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don’t think he’ll do that," he added. "I hope he doesn’t do that." Trump made the comments in
NOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official said Taiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. The strikes that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signaled to authoritarian leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), US President Donald Trump’s willingness to use military might for international affairs core to US interests, one senior official in Taipei’s security circle said. That reassured Taiwan, the person said. Taipei has also dismissed the idea that Trump’s apparent violation of international law could embolden Beijing, said the official, who was not
A cold surge advisory was today issued for 18 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures of below 10°C forecast during the day and into tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. New Taipei City, Taipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchu, Miaoli and Yilan counties are expected to experience sustained temperatures of 10°C or lower, the CWA said. Temperatures are likely to temporarily drop below 10°C in most other areas, except Taitung, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, CWA data showed. The cold weather is being caused by a strong continental cold air mass, combined with radiative cooling, a process in which heat escapes from
Snow this morning fell on Alishan for the first time in seven years, as a strong continental cold air mass sent temperatures plunging across Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The Alishan weather station, located at an elevation of about 2,200m in central Taiwan, recorded snowfall from 8:55am to 9:15am, when the temperature dropped to about 1°C, the CWA said. With increased moisture and low temperatures in the high-altitude Alishan area, the conditions were favorable for snow, CWA forecaster Tsai Yi-chi (蔡伊其) said. The last time snow fell at the Alishan weather station was on Jan. 10, 2018, while graupel fell there
RSS