Taiwan Maritime Agency Clerk Forged Boat Licenses; Taipei Prosecutors Defer Charges for 50 Buyers
Song Li-heng, a technician at the Central Maritime Center of the Maritime and Port Bureau (MPB), was sentenced for forging yacht and power boat licenses in exchange for bribes. On June 4, 2025, the Taipei District Prosecutors Office indicted three buyers for bribery and granted deferred prosecution to 50 others, each required to pay NT$100,000 to the national treasury. Thirteen others were cleared due to insufficient evidence.
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- 📰 Published: June 4, 2026 at 21:32
- 🔍 Collected: June 4, 2026 at 21:48 (16 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 6, 2026 at 15:29 (41h 41m after Collected)
(Central News Agency, reporter Xie Junlin, Taipei, 4th) Song Li-heng, a technician at the Central Maritime Center of the Maritime and Port Bureau (MPB), was sentenced for forging yacht or power boat licenses for "buyers" and accepting bribes from intermediaries. The Taipei District Prosecutors Office (TPO) today indicted three buyers for bribery and granted deferred prosecution to 50 other buyers, each required to pay NT$100,000 to the national treasury.
According to court rulings, from April 20, 1989, to May 14, 2020, Song Li-heng served as a technician in the Supervision Section of the MPB's Central Maritime Center. He was responsible for supervising seafarer endorsement and the issuance, renewal, and reissuance of yacht and power boat driving licenses, and had access to the Maritime Personnel Management System.
The rulings indicated that illegal operators exploited the public's desire to obtain licenses without attending training or exams. They charged individuals NT$10,000 to NT$30,000, and after deducting their own illegal profits, paid Song Li-heng NT$5,000 to NT$8,000 per license as bribes.
After accepting bribes, Song Li-heng exceeded his authority by logging into the system and entering false information regarding license issuance or renewal. He also misused a steel seal to stamp the licenses, forging yacht or power boat licenses and handing them over to the illegal operators. Song also accepted commissions from operators to replace forged licenses with expired validity dates. Song was convicted of violating the Anti-Corruption Act and forgery, and the court sentenced him to 11 years in prison.
As the "buyers" were spread across the country, the Taichung District Prosecutors Office indicted Song and five intermediaries on corruption charges in late 2024, while granting deferred prosecution to 247 buyers. The New Taipei District Prosecutors Office also granted deferred prosecution to 117 people in 2025.
Following an investigation, the TPO found that three individuals, surnamed Zhang, Zhou, and Huang, allegedly purchased licenses through intermediaries for amounts ranging from NT$20,000 to NT$30,000. Considering their denial of the charges, they were indicted today for corruption. Another 50 people who confessed were granted deferred prosecution, each required to pay NT$100,000 to the national treasury, totaling NT$5 million. The remaining 13 people were cleared due to insufficient evidence. (Editor: Xiao Bowen) June 4, 2026
According to court rulings, from April 20, 1989, to May 14, 2020, Song Li-heng served as a technician in the Supervision Section of the MPB's Central Maritime Center. He was responsible for supervising seafarer endorsement and the issuance, renewal, and reissuance of yacht and power boat driving licenses, and had access to the Maritime Personnel Management System.
The rulings indicated that illegal operators exploited the public's desire to obtain licenses without attending training or exams. They charged individuals NT$10,000 to NT$30,000, and after deducting their own illegal profits, paid Song Li-heng NT$5,000 to NT$8,000 per license as bribes.
After accepting bribes, Song Li-heng exceeded his authority by logging into the system and entering false information regarding license issuance or renewal. He also misused a steel seal to stamp the licenses, forging yacht or power boat licenses and handing them over to the illegal operators. Song also accepted commissions from operators to replace forged licenses with expired validity dates. Song was convicted of violating the Anti-Corruption Act and forgery, and the court sentenced him to 11 years in prison.
As the "buyers" were spread across the country, the Taichung District Prosecutors Office indicted Song and five intermediaries on corruption charges in late 2024, while granting deferred prosecution to 247 buyers. The New Taipei District Prosecutors Office also granted deferred prosecution to 117 people in 2025.
Following an investigation, the TPO found that three individuals, surnamed Zhang, Zhou, and Huang, allegedly purchased licenses through intermediaries for amounts ranging from NT$20,000 to NT$30,000. Considering their denial of the charges, they were indicted today for corruption. Another 50 people who confessed were granted deferred prosecution, each required to pay NT$100,000 to the national treasury, totaling NT$5 million. The remaining 13 people were cleared due to insufficient evidence. (Editor: Xiao Bowen) June 4, 2026