Swiss Judiciary Unfreezes Massive Funds in Lafayette Case: Wang Family Retrieves $670 Million
Swiss authorities have unfrozen and returned $670 million to the family of the late Andrew Wang, a central figure in the Lafayette frigate scandal. The decision follows 25 years of international investigation that failed to conclusively link the funds to corruption.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 27, 2026 at 20:56
- 🔍 Collected: April 27, 2026 at 21:32 (35 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 28, 2026 at 03:25 (5h 53m after Collected)
(Central News Agency, Reporter Guo Fang-jun, Zurich, 27th) Andrew Wang (Wang Chuan-pu), the Taiwanese agent for the French company Thomson-CSF in 1990, was involved in major military procurement scandals such as the death of Navy Captain Yin Ching-feng, the Lafayette frigate, and Mirage fighter procurements. He lived in the UK for a long time and passed away there in 2015. Recently, Swiss judicial authorities unfroze his accounts and returned $670 million to the Wang family, drawing attention from Swiss media to this massive sum.
The Swiss media 'Le Matin Dimanche' was the first to disclose the news of the fund's return. According to the report, after 25 years of international investigation, asset freezing, and litigation in places including Switzerland, Jersey, and the Cayman Islands, the Swiss Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) decided at the end of March to unfreeze and return approximately $670 million (about 21.2 billion TWD) to the Wang family.
Swiss publication 'Blick' further reported that the funds originated from the highly controversial military sales between Taiwan and France. Andrew Wang's eldest son, 59-year-old British citizen of Taiwanese descent Wang Jia-xing, retrieved over $670 million along with his siblings from Switzerland.
The report stated that Wang Jia-xing resides in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, where he is known as a philanthropist. His wealth comes from transactions handled by his father during his lifetime. However, due to money laundering allegations, Wang Chuan-pu was unable to return to his hometown of Taiwan. Part of the wealth involved illegal payments made when Taiwan purchased warships and Mirage fighters from France. Despite prohibitions at the time, commission transactions took place, and part of the funds was deposited in Swiss bank accounts.
Wang Jia-xing's lawyer told 'Le Matin Dimanche' that Wang Jia-xing did not participate in the relevant arms deals of the 1990s. A spokesperson for the Wang family also told 'Blick' that the Supreme Court of Taiwan has confirmed that Wang Jia-xing and his siblings were not involved in any criminal activity.
The Swiss FOJ stated regarding the case that after more than 20 years of investigation, the frozen assets could not be sufficiently proven to be linked to corrupt behavior, thus the freeze was lifted. (Editor: Chen Cheng-gong)
The Swiss media 'Le Matin Dimanche' was the first to disclose the news of the fund's return. According to the report, after 25 years of international investigation, asset freezing, and litigation in places including Switzerland, Jersey, and the Cayman Islands, the Swiss Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) decided at the end of March to unfreeze and return approximately $670 million (about 21.2 billion TWD) to the Wang family.
Swiss publication 'Blick' further reported that the funds originated from the highly controversial military sales between Taiwan and France. Andrew Wang's eldest son, 59-year-old British citizen of Taiwanese descent Wang Jia-xing, retrieved over $670 million along with his siblings from Switzerland.
The report stated that Wang Jia-xing resides in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, where he is known as a philanthropist. His wealth comes from transactions handled by his father during his lifetime. However, due to money laundering allegations, Wang Chuan-pu was unable to return to his hometown of Taiwan. Part of the wealth involved illegal payments made when Taiwan purchased warships and Mirage fighters from France. Despite prohibitions at the time, commission transactions took place, and part of the funds was deposited in Swiss bank accounts.
Wang Jia-xing's lawyer told 'Le Matin Dimanche' that Wang Jia-xing did not participate in the relevant arms deals of the 1990s. A spokesperson for the Wang family also told 'Blick' that the Supreme Court of Taiwan has confirmed that Wang Jia-xing and his siblings were not involved in any criminal activity.
The Swiss FOJ stated regarding the case that after more than 20 years of investigation, the frozen assets could not be sufficiently proven to be linked to corrupt behavior, thus the freeze was lifted. (Editor: Chen Cheng-gong)