Authorities this morning intercepted a fishing boat suspected of smuggling former legislative aide Chang Chun-chieh (張俊傑) out of Taiwan, arresting its Taiwanese captain and eight foreign crew members after failing to find Chang on board.
Chang, who worked as an assistant to independent Legislator May Chin (高金素梅), disappeared in early September following a low-battery alert from his electronic monitoring bracelet.
Chin and Chang were indicted in June by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for allegedly conspiring to fraudulently claim more than NT$7.87 million (US$239,384) in aide expenses and illegally import COVID-19 rapid test kits, with prosecutors seeking prison sentences of at least 12 years and six months for Chin and 16 years for Chang.
Photo: Lin Chia-tung, Taipei Times
Chang is also suspected of accepting more than NT$100 million in Chinese funding to develop organizations in Taiwan.
The boat suspected of carrying Chang out of Taiwan was registered in Baodouzih (八斗子), Keelung.
It reportedly cleared customs and departed from Jenbin Fishing Harbor (正濱漁港) at 11:46pm on Wednesday last week.
The Taiwanese captain reportedly told authorities that the crew consisted of two Chinese nationals and six Indonesians, in addition to himself.
The task force searching for Chang reportedly located the vessel using radar and intercepted it off the coast of Keelung late last night.
They reportedly did not find Chang on board, but arrested the captain and eight crew members, escorting them back to Keelung this morning to investigate whether the vessel smuggled Chang out of the country.
The task force is cross-checking Coast Guard Administration (CGA) harbor surveillance records and questioning the captain and crew members separately to determine whether Chang boarded the fishing boat to leave Taiwan illegally.
Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) today confirmed that prosecutors are investigating, but said facts would have to wait until prosecutors completed further inquiries and make a public statement.
Chang was not found on board, and the captain has denied involvement, Kuan said.
The case has been under investigation for about 59 days, during which the CGA has worked with police and prosecutors to apprehend 47 accomplices, Kuan added.
Additional reporting by CNA
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