Blue Quixote Company Owner Gets Suspended Sentence for Illegally Manufacturing Medical Masks

(Central News Agency, reporter Liu Shiyi, Taipei, 9th) Lan Shengwei, the owner of Blue Quixote Company, did not join the national mask team and privately manufactured and sold medical masks. The first instance court sentenced him to 1 year and 10 months in prison. On the 9th, the appeals court, considering his confession and remorse, upheld the sentence but granted a 5-year suspended sentence, requiring him to pay NT$1 million to the national treasury and attend legal education courses. The judgment stated that Lan Shengwei was fully aware that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Health and Welfare had declared it a statutory infectious disease and established the Central Epidemic Command Center. He also knew that medical masks were classified as epidemic prevention supplies subject to government requisition, leading to domestic supply shortages and the implementation of a name-based rationing system. Despite this, from February 1 to May 19, 2020, he secretly manufactured medical masks at his company's factory and marketed them for medical use. The court determined that during the requisition period, Lan Shengwei engaged in price gouging of medical supplies, manufactured and sold medical devices without authorization, deliberately concealed production activities from the authorities, and signed an affidavit falsely stating that he was not producing medical masks to evade requisition regulations. His total illegal profit amounted to NT$6,198,600. The appeals court noted that this case involved a single act violating both the Communicable Disease Control Act and the Act for the Prevention and Relief of Severe Pneumonia with Novel Pathogens. It should be adjudicated under the more severe Article 61 of the Communicable Disease Control Act. Although the original trial court erred in applying the law, its sentencing was deemed appropriate. The panel stated that because Lan Shengwei confessed to the crime during the appeals process and showed remorse, the basis for sentencing had changed compared to the original trial. Therefore, the original verdict was overturned, and the sentence was set at 1 year and 10 months in prison, with a 5-year suspension. The appeals court emphasized that the defendant's actions disregarded government epidemic prevention policies and caused significant harm to society. To prevent recidivism and promote legal compliance, he was ordered to be under probation supervision during the suspension period, pay NT$1 million to the national treasury, and complete 3 sessions of legal education courses. The case can be appealed. (Editor: Zhang Mingkun) 1150609