Chiayi Police Squad Leader Detained for Unexplained Wealth Over NT$12 Million

(Central News Agency, Chiayi City, 12th) The Chiayi District Prosecutors Office is investigating a corruption case involving a squad leader surnamed He from the Chiayi City Police Department's First Precinct. He and an electronic game arcade operator were subject to detention requests. The Chiayi District Court ordered He's detention and communication ban, citing risks of collusion and evidence tampering, and unexplained wealth exceeding NT$12 million. The operator was released on bail.

The Chiayi City Police Department's First Precinct expressed deep regret over He's alleged illegal activities, stating it will suspend him or impose stricter penalties according to legal procedures. The precinct will continue to cooperate with the investigation and will not cover up any wrongdoing.

According to the Chiayi District Court, a man surnamed Chen who operates an electronic game arcade is suspected of installing gambling-type electronic game machines for patrons and allegedly paying monthly bribes to Squad Leader He. He is suspected of leaking information about informants, unannounced inspections, or investigation targets to Chen, allowing Chen to avoid crackdowns on illegal gambling operations. He also failed to reasonably explain the source of unexplained funds in his bank accounts. The prosecutor requested detention based on these alleged actions.

After questioning He and Chen, the court found sufficient evidence to suggest they are seriously suspected of crimes including breach of confidentiality, unexplained property by a public official, public official harboring others for providing gambling venues and organizing group gambling, and gambling.

The court noted that while the prosecutor alleged He and Chen were involved in accepting and delivering bribes, both denied the charges. Based on accounting records and their communication history, it was difficult to conclude that Chen had actually delivered bribes to He. Furthermore, the amount of unexplained property deposited into He's account significantly differed from the alleged bribe amount, making a direct link unsubstantiated.

However, the court considered that He, as a judicial police officer, is more familiar than the average person with investigation procedures and techniques. To evade or reduce his criminal liability, there were factual grounds to believe he might collude with accomplices or witnesses. He also admitted to habitually deleting chat records with Chen, confirming evidence tampering. Additionally, as some witnesses have yet to testify, grounds for detention existed.

The court determined that He, knowing Chen was an electronic game machine operator, failed to maintain distance and instead developed an overly close relationship. His actions in harboring the provision of gambling venues severely damaged the integrity of national law enforcement personnel. Considering the amount of unexplained property exceeded NT$12 million, the court deemed the alleged crimes serious and ordered detention with a ban on communication and visits. (Editor: Huang Mingxi) 1150612