Law enforcement officials yesterday raided the offices of UBI Pharma Inc (聯亞藥) amid a probe into alleged insider trading.
Officers searched 22 sites in Taipei, New Taipei City, Hsinchu, Taoyuan, Miaoli, Taichung and Tainan, seizing documents and electronic records and devices, the Hsinchu District Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday.
Seventeen people were questioned, the prosecutors said, adding that Peng Wen-chun (彭文君), deputy executive officer of the firm’s parent company, United Biomedical Inc Asia (聯亞生技), and a department head surnamed Fu (傅) were listed as suspects.
Investigators did not seek pre-trial detention for the suspects, the prosecutors said, adding that Peng was released after posting NT$3 million (US$108,601) bail, while Fu was released on NT$1 million bail.
Investigators registered suspicious volatility in the company’s stock price from June to August last year, the prosecutors said, adding that the probe, led by the Investigation Bureau, would likely be broadened.
The UBI officials are suspected of breaching the Securities and Exchange Act (證券交易法), they said, adding that detention warrants were approved by the Hsinchu District Court.
Eight prosecutors were assigned to the case, they said, adding that Wang Yuan-chih (王遠志) would head the team.
United Biomedical’s COVID-19 vaccine last year failed to gain approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) yesterday promised it would increase oversight of use of Chinese in course materials, following a social media outcry over instances of simplified Chinese characters being used, including in a final exam. People on Threads wrote that simplified Chinese characters were used on a final exam and in a textbook for a translation course at the university, while the business card of a professor bore the words: “Taiwan Province, China.” Photographs of the exam, the textbook and the business card were posted with the comments. NKUST said that other members of the faculty did not see
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed. The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday. It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties,
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