The government has revoked the Republic of China (ROC) citizenship of fugitive business tycoon Chen Yu-hao (陳由豪), who fled to China 22 years ago, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Friday.
The Ministry of the Interior canceled Chen’s household registration in Taiwan after he was found to have obtained a household registration in China, the MAC said, adding that Chen had lost his ROC citizenship, effective immediately.
Chen acquired Chinese citizenship in 2013 after fleeing to China in 2002.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
As Chen no longer has Taiwanese citizenship, he has to seek permission to enter Taiwan as a Chinese citizen, the MAC said, adding that the government is determined to tighten scrutiny on any possible entry by Chen using a third country’s passport.
The MAC said it had repeatedly requested that Chinese authorities extradite Chen back to Taiwan under the rules governing cross-strait crackdowns on crime and mutual judicial assistance, but they failed to respond.
The council said it regretted China’s failure to observe the rules on anti-crime crackdowns and mutual judicial assistance across the Taiwan Strait.
Chen fled Taiwan after dissolving Tuntex Group in 2001 during an investigation into allegations that he had embezzled about NT$70 billion (US$2.19 billion) from his company. He also owes about NT$450 million in personal income tax.
Tuntex was a conglomerate that had property, petrochemical, textile, retail and hotel businesses.
Chen was a US citizen and was able to travel freely between the US and China.
In 2002, he set up a petrochemical complex in Xiamen with paid-in capital of 3.34 billion yuan (US$475.95 million) to produce items such as benzenedicarboxylic acid.
Chen was indicted in 2003 and listed as one of the 10 most-wanted fugitives in Taiwan. Since acquiring Chinese citizenship, he has developed close ties with Chinese officials and its business sector.
The MAC urged China to pay close attention to what its people desire for judicial justice and to not protect Taiwanese criminals, but to send them back to Taiwan to stand trial.
That would protect the welfare of people across the Taiwan Strait, it said.
The Ministry of Justice’s Administrative Enforcement Agency has announced that it would auction 317 plots of properties owned by Chen to pay his large outstanding personal income tax bills.
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