The army’s Matsu Defense Command yesterday said that more than 60 servicemembers from the command and its subordinate units allegedly conspired with a scam ring to collect bank accounts from fellow soldiers for illegal use.
In a release yesterday, the Lienchiang District Prosecutors’ Office confirmed it is investigating 67 soldiers and officers suspected of using their personal bank accounts and fake seller accounts on e-commerce platform Shopee for a monthly payout of NT$3,000 to NT$5,000 in connection with a scam ring.
It said the office’s Suspicious Account Alert Center in May last year received a bank report of abnormal account activities demonstrating patterns of money laundering and tax evasion.
Photo courtesy of the Matsu Defense Command
Prosecutors opened an investigation and asked the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) and the Lienchiang County Police Bureau to look into the case.
Several non-commissioned officers allegedly acted as the organizers of a pyramid scheme to entice fellow officers and soldiers into providing their bank accounts, a source said on condition of anonymity.
The suspects allegedly claimed more bank accounts were needed to operate businesses on Shopee.
On Nov. 6, investigators looking into tax evasion and money laundering activities arrested a sergeant, surnamed Tseng (曾), it said.
Tseng was detained and isolated under suspicion that he was deeply involved in the case and could collude with other defendants or witnesses, it said.
Six other defendants who allegedly lent their Shopee seller accounts were brought in for questioning that day and dismissed afterwards, the office said.
The CIB and the command’s investigation into the other 66 servicemembers who allegedly lent their Shopee accounts to the scam syndicate via Tseng continues, and no leniency would be shown in punishing the main suspects if they are found to have broken the law, prosecutors said.
The recently amended Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法) stipulates that people who use others’ bank or virtual platform accounts without justification could be sentenced to prison for up to five years.
Those who lend their accounts to others without justifiable reasons could be penalized by a term of up to three years, according to the act.
That means officers and soldiers involved in the case would not only face dismissal from their positions, but could also be jailed.
The large number of servicemembers involved has caused concerns that the defense capacity in Matsu might be affected.
The command said it has promptly investigated the case as required by law and would minimize the impact while maintaining as much defense capacity as possible.
Legal education would continue to be enhanced to instill a more law-abiding culture in troops, it added.
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