Prosecutors yesterday searched 15 locations and summoned five defendants for questioning on suspicion of helping investment company head Chung Wen-chih (鍾文智) jump bail after receiving a more than 30-year sentence for fraud.
Internal reviews by the National Police Agency’s (NPA) Ethics Office and the Taipei Police Department’s Xinyi Precinct found that police officers were suspected of helping Chung forge check-in signatures required as part of his bail conditions.
During court proceedings starting in 2021, Chung was ordered to refrain from leaving the country, and had to report regularly to his local police station.
Photo: Taipei Times
After he failed to report to police, prosecutors on March 14 issued a wanted bulletin for Chung, president of Mo Tan Li International Investment Co and owner of a seafood business.
The Supreme Prosecutors' Office then instructed the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office to open a separate investigation into Chung’s flight.
Prosecutors created a joint task force with the Taipei Police Department’s Xinyi Precinct and Criminal Investigation Division, Sindian Precinct in New Taipei City, the NPA's Criminal Investigation Bureau, the Taipei Field Office of the Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau, the Coast Guard Administration and the National Immigration Agency.
Chung had been convicted on five counts of manipulating stock prices, contraventions of the Securities and Exchange Act (證券交易法) and two counts of money laundering after gaining illegal proceeds of more than NT$400 million (US$12.67 million).
The Supreme Court on March 12 handed him a final combined sentence of 30 years and five months.
The High Court then ruled he should serve 18 years of the sentence.
Investigators yesterday searched 15 locations, including offices and residences linked to implicated officers at the Fude and Sanchangli police stations, and questioned more than 10 witnesses and five suspects.
A deputy precinct chief surnamed Lee (李) from the Xinyi Precinct was detained incommunicado after questioning due to a high risk of collusion.
He is suspected of making false entries in official documents under the Criminal Code and contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個資法), as well as seeking illicit benefits in connection with his supervisory duties and possessing property of unexplained origin under the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例).
Prosecutors also questioned Chung’s accountant, surnamed Yeh (葉), two other deputy precinct chiefs from the Xinyi precinct and Lee’s wife.
Yeh was subsequently detained, while the two deputy precinct chiefs were released on bail of NT$300,000 each with restrictions on travel.
Lee’s wife was released on NT$500,000 bail with a travel restriction and electronic monitoring.
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