Politician-turned-businessperson Chen Chi-yu has turned himself in after weeks on the run from charges of defrauding Taiyen Green Energy, a state-linked company he once chaired.
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00:0024 days after he disappeared, Chen Xiyu is back to face corruption charges.
00:06He's accused of helping defraud 34 million U.S. dollars from Taiyan Green Energy, a company
00:11with government links he chaired from 2016 to 2021.
00:15While four other suspects are in custody, Chen skipped the court date for his detention
00:19hearing in early November, leading to a warrant for his arrest.
00:23Amid suspicions he'd fled the country, he finally turned himself in to prosecutors in
00:27Tainan on Monday.
00:29This time, his detention is a sure thing.
00:40The court has agreed.
00:42But there's more to this case, an added political dimension brought on by Chen's many years
00:46in public office and Taiyan Green Energy's links to the state.
00:50Until last year, Chen was affiliated with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, serving
00:54for some years as a lawmaker for it.
00:57And while Chen's real involvement in the case is something the court will have to decide,
01:01his political past has figures in both the ruling and opposition camps weighing in.
01:07Many people's opinions, including mine, are that if Chen is like this, it's possible
01:11that he'll end up in the same cell.
01:13But he has some other money.
01:16Where did it go?
01:17Do we have to hide the money and hand it over?
01:21Then he'll end up in the same cell.
01:23I'm afraid if we keep investigating, more things will come to light.
01:26I've been avoiding the case for 25 days.
01:29In fact, the Democratic Progressive Party is still in the dark.
01:32But we also hope that Chen will be brave enough to face justice in the future.
01:36Of course, the prosecution and the court also appeal to the Democratic Progressive Party
01:39that in the future, if necessary, we will press charges against him and do what needs to be done.
01:46With a major suspect in custody, the court is now faced with untangling a complex, and
01:50maybe politically charged, puzzle.
01:53Luffy Lee and John Van Triest for Taiwan Plus.