A real-estate mogul wanted for allegedly defrauding investors out of more than NT$500 million (US$15.43 million) was charged yesterday with contraventions of the Banking Act (銀行法), the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office said.
Lee Chen Miao-yin (李陳妙音), who was arrested in Thailand on March 26, was transferred into the custody of the prosecutors’ office shortly after being repatriated to Taiwan on May 9, it said.
Lee, her husband, Lee Chang-an (李長安), and Liu Wei-ting (劉威廷) and Rich Lee (李進倫) were allegedly involved in an illegal investment scheme using Harbor View Residences, a 456-unit hotel and condominium development project in Bangkok, the office said.
Photo: Huang Liang-chieh, Taipei Times
The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau said that the four used Blue Ocean Realty Co, a company established by Liu and Rich Lee in Taipei in 2013, to illegally accept deposits without registering as a bank.
Blue Ocean Realty and a sister company in Thailand began to solicit funds for the Bangkok development project by promising investors annual returns of 4 to 6.5 percent, the bureau said.
From October 2016 to October 2018, the group recruited 88 people to invest in the project, with illegally received deposits totaling 608 million baht (US$16.5 million), it said.
Investors reported the situation to police after promised returns were not fulfilled, it said.
In 2019, Lee Chen Miao-yin and her husband fled to Thailand, while Liu and Rich Lee were arrested in Taiwan, the bureau said.
In October last year, the Kaohsiung District Court sentenced Rich Lee to 12 years in prison and handed Liu a 10-and-a-half-year sentence for illegally receiving deposits.
Lee Chen Miao-yin and Lee Chang-an were listed as wanted fugitives by the Investigation Bureau in 2021.
Lee Chen Miao-yin told investigators that she established the company to promote the investment project, while her husband recruited investors, the prosecutors’ office said.
Prosecutors said evidence showed that she had engaged in illegal fundraising activities.
Her husband is still at large, the office added.
RESTRICTIONS: All food items imported from the five prefectures must be accompanied by radiation and origin certificates, and undergo batch-by-batch inspection The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday announced that almost all produce from five Japanese prefectures affected by the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster would now be allowed into Taiwan. The five are Fukushima, Gunma, Chiba, Ibaraki and Tochigi. The only items that would still be blocked from being imported into the nation are those that are still banned from being circulated in Japan, the FDA added. With the removal of the ban, items including mushrooms, the meat of wild birds and other wild animals, and koshiabura” (foraged vegetables) would now be permitted to enter Taiwan, along with the other
Tropical depression TD22, which was over waters south of the Ryukyu Islands, is likely to develop into a tropical storm by this morning and pose a significant threat to Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The depression is likely to strengthen into a tropical storm named Krathon as it moves south and then veers north toward waters off Taiwan’s eastern coast, CWA forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. Given the favorable environmental conditions for its development, TD22’s intensity would reach at least typhoon levels, Hsu said. As of 2pm yesterday, the tropical depression was about 610km east-southeast of Taiwan proper’s
A new tropical storm is expected to form by early tomorrow morning, potentially developing into a medium-strength typhoon that is to affect Taiwan through Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration said today. There are currently two tropical systems circulating to the east of Taiwan, agency forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. The one currently north of Guam developed into Tropical Storm Gebi this afternoon and is expected to veer toward Japan without affecting Taiwan, Hsu said. Another tropical depression is 600km from the east coast and is likely to develp into the named storm Krathon either late tonight or early tomorrow, he said. This
DIVA-READY: The city’s deadline for the repairs is one day before pop star Jody Chiang is to perform at the Taipei Dome for the city’s Double Ten National Day celebrations The Taipei City Government has asked Farglory Group (遠雄集團) to repair serious water leaks in the Taipei Dome before Friday next week, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said yesterday, following complaints that many areas at the stadium were leaking during two baseball games over the weekend. The dome on Saturday and Sunday hosted two games in tribute to CTBC Brothers’ star Chou Szu-chi (周思齊) ahead of his retirement from the CPBL. The games each attracted about 40,000 people, filling the stadium to capacity. However, amid heavy rain, many people reported water leaking on some seats, at the entrance and exit areas, and the