Banciao District prosecutors yesterday indicted 24 people accused of involvement in a professional baseball match-fixing scandal, including former La New Bears pitcher Chang Chih-chia (張誌家), Brother Elephants player Chen Chih-yuan (陳致遠) and Tainan County Council Speaker Wu Chien-bao (吳健保).
Prosecutors decided not to indict another 11 players, while 24 others were handed a deferred prosecution, which means they will be indicted if they are involved in any misconduct in the future.
Several players, including Chang and Chen, were charged with fraud and gambling. Prosecutors requested two-year prison sentences for the players allegedly involved in match-fixing, said Cheng Hsin-hung (鄭鑫宏), a spokesperson for the Banciao Prosecutors’ Office.
They said they did not request leniency in the indictments for Chang and Chen because the pair refused to admit to the charges against them, showed no remorse for the crimes they allegedly committed and did not cooperate with the investigation.
Chang had allegedly been persuaded by the “Windshield Wipers” criminal gang to throw games by accepting bribes in the form of expensive cars and cash.
Chen is suspected of taking NT$1 million (US$32,000) to cooperate in match-fixing in 2006.
Tsai Cheng-yi (蔡政宜) and other members of the gambling group that solicited players to throw games were also indicted along with the players.
Prosecutors requested lighter sentences for Tsai and others in the gang because they believe they did not threaten players to fix games. Members of the criminal gang were also very cooperative during the investigation process and provided valuable information and evidence, prosecutors said.
Although prosecutors believe that Elephants pitcher Tsao Chin-hui (曹錦輝) and Sinon Bulls Hsieh Chia-hsien (謝佳賢) also received “inappropriate benefits” from the Windshield Wipers, prosecutors did not indict them because there was insufficient evidence to back up the allegations.
Former Brother Elephants coach Shim Nakagomi was also accused of telling players to throw games, with prosecutors requesting a year-and-a-half jail term. He was arrested in November after prosecutors got wind of his plan to flee the country.
Prosecutors requested a nine-year prison sentence and fine of NT$50 million for Wu and alleged that the council speaker was involved in fraud and organized crime in connection with the match-fixing case.
Wu was mired in rumors that he had faked illness when he checked into the hospital just one day after receiving a court summons to appear for questioning last month.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS