The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on Wednesday released Saint Eir Clinic director Li I-chan (李宜展) and a manager surnamed Huang (黃) from the chain’s Taipei Zhongxiao branch on bail amid an ongoing investigation into surveillance practices at cosmetic clinics.
Prosecutors said the two are suspected of contravening laws related to sexual privacy, personal privacy and the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法).
Li was released on bail of NT$3 million (US$95,208), while Huang was released on bail of NT$500,000.
Photo: Cheng Shu-ting, Taipei Times
Police on Wednesday searched the clinic’s Taipei Railway Station and Zhongxiao branches, as well as the offices of the Saint Eir Medical Group, the parent company of the clinic chain, in Taipei.
Investigators then seized mobile phones and other evidence, and summoned Li and Huang for further questioning.
The raid followed a report filed on Friday last week to the Taipei Police Department’s Zhongzheng First Precinct, after a customer alleged they had been recorded during a treatment session.
The complaint raised concerns that the clinic might have breached patients’ sexual privacy and attempt to destroy the evidence.
Police and the Technological Crime Investigation Unit searched the clinic on Saturday last week.
They found some publicly set recording devices in treatment rooms, with their cameras pointing to the side of a treatment bed.
Investigators also searched other areas of the clinic, but found no hidden cameras or signs that recording devices had been removed.
Police later summoned Li, who was accompanied by his lawyer, for questioning and released him on Saturday.
On Monday, police referred the case to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, which instructed the Daan Precinct to search the Zhongxiao branch and seize evidence.
Saint Eir Medical Group on Saturday said that all filming during treatment sessions is done with the explicit consent of each customer, as outlined in a signed contract.
The contract states that it may conduct continuous audio and video recording during treatment to prevent potential medical disputes and safeguard the rights of both parties, the company said.
It also stipulates that the clinic is responsible for the secure storage of the recordings, which are retained for one month after treatment is completed.
The probe into Saint Eir Medical Group comes after a customer discovered a hidden camera disguised as a smoke detector at a branch of Airlee Group Co., another chain of cosmetic clinics, in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋).
The Kaohsiung Health Department yesterday said it had suspended the operations of two Airlee branches in the city for six months over multiple violations, including unauthorized filming of patients.
Inspections found that the two clinics — Boai Airlee Clinic in Zuoying District (左營) and Airlee Clinic in Sinsing District (新興) — had breached the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (藥事法) and the Medical Care Act (醫療法), including by allegedly recording patients without consent, it said in a statement.
While the clinics’ operations have been suspended for six months starting on Monday, they must stay open to process patient refunds, it said.
As of Wednesday, the department had completed inspections of 43 medical institutions — including 40 cosmetic clinics and three municipal hospitals — as part of a campaign targeting high-risk cosmetic medicine providers.
Taipei police on Thursday said that it had also searched other cosmetic clinic chains, including Yan Yi Ming Clinic and Dr Shine, over allegations that recording devices had been installed in treatment rooms.
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