88 Hall's Kuo Che-min involved in underground remittance case, second instance verdict on May 29
Kuo Che-min, the owner of 88 Hall, involved in an underground remittance case, was sentenced to 11 years and 8 months in the first instance. The Taiwan High Court will announce its verdict on May 29. Kuo Che-min has partially admitted guilt, and the High Court continues to detain him due to flight risk.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 2, 2026 at 12:23
- 🔍 Collected: May 2, 2026 at 12:31 (8 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 2, 2026 at 12:46 (14 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Liu Shih-yi, Taipei 2nd) Kuo Che-min, the owner of 88 Hall, involved in underground remittance and other cases, was sentenced to 11 years and 8 months in prison in the first instance. During the second-instance trial at the Taiwan High Court, Kuo Che-min partially admitted guilt, and the case's辯論 has concluded, with the judge scheduled to announce the verdict on May 29.
Additionally, Kuo Che-min's detention period expires on the 15th. The Taiwan High Court will hold a hearing on the 5th to extend his detention, listening to opinions from both prosecution and defense, and will bring Kuo Che-min to court.
According to the High Court's previous four rulings on extending detention, Kuo Che-min has a strong motive to flee. Besides detention, other alternative methods are deemed insufficient to prevent his escape.
The case originated from Kuo Che-min, the owner of "88 Hall," which sparked controversy over police officers frequenting entertainment venues. He was suspected of operating online gambling and underground remittance businesses. After the incident, Kuo Che-min fled to Thailand and was escorted back to Taiwan by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau in August 2023.
According to the first-instance judgment by the New Taipei District Court, Kuo Che-min operated overseas online gambling from 2018, illegally profiting over NT$3.5 billion. Furthermore, Kuo Che-min funded and established a cross-border underground remittance group, transferring gambling proceeds overseas, with a total remittance amount exceeding NT$21.8839 billion, from which he profited over NT$126.66 million.
The first instance found Kuo Che-min guilty of gambling offenses, violations of the Organized Crime Prevention Act, and the Banking Act. He was heavily sentenced to 11 years and 8 months in prison for illegal cross-border remittance operations under the Banking Act. The confiscated criminal proceeds of 6.41 million USDT and unconfiscated criminal proceeds of over NT$3.5 billion were all forfeited.
In addition, co-defendants Chang Hsu-sheng and Du Wei-chen were each sentenced to 9 years and 8 months in prison, and also faced 20 counts of money laundering offenses, each sentenced to 7 months, with the executable sentence yet to be determined for this part. The New Taipei District Court issued an arrest warrant for co-defendant Lin Bing-wen during the trial as he failed to appear, but Lin Bing-wen was shot dead in Cambodia on March 23. The entire case has been appealed and is currently under review by the Taiwan High Court. (Editor: Li Heng-shan) 1150502
Choose to stand with the facts, every sponsorship from you is the power to protect press freedom.
Download the CNA "First-hand News" APP to grasp the latest news instantly.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.
(Central News Agency reporter Liu Shih-yi, Taipei 2nd) Kuo Che-min, the owner of 88 Hall, involved in underground remittance and other cases, was sentenced to 11 years and 8 months in prison in the first instance. During the second-instance trial at the Taiwan High Court, Kuo Che-min partially admitted guilt, and the case's辯論 has concluded, with the judge scheduled to announce the verdict on May 29.
Additionally, Kuo Che-min's detention period expires on the 15th. The Taiwan High Court will hold a hearing on the 5th to extend his detention, listening to opinions from both prosecution and defense, and will bring Kuo Che-min to court.
According to the High Court's previous four rulings on extending detention, Kuo Che-min has a strong motive to flee. Besides detention, other alternative methods are deemed insufficient to prevent his escape.
The case originated from Kuo Che-min, the owner of "88 Hall," which sparked controversy over police officers frequenting entertainment venues. He was suspected of operating online gambling and underground remittance businesses. After the incident, Kuo Che-min fled to Thailand and was escorted back to Taiwan by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau in August 2023.
According to the first-instance judgment by the New Taipei District Court, Kuo Che-min operated overseas online gambling from 2018, illegally profiting over NT$3.5 billion. Furthermore, Kuo Che-min funded and established a cross-border underground remittance group, transferring gambling proceeds overseas, with a total remittance amount exceeding NT$21.8839 billion, from which he profited over NT$126.66 million.
The first instance found Kuo Che-min guilty of gambling offenses, violations of the Organized Crime Prevention Act, and the Banking Act. He was heavily sentenced to 11 years and 8 months in prison for illegal cross-border remittance operations under the Banking Act. The confiscated criminal proceeds of 6.41 million USDT and unconfiscated criminal proceeds of over NT$3.5 billion were all forfeited.
In addition, co-defendants Chang Hsu-sheng and Du Wei-chen were each sentenced to 9 years and 8 months in prison, and also faced 20 counts of money laundering offenses, each sentenced to 7 months, with the executable sentence yet to be determined for this part. The New Taipei District Court issued an arrest warrant for co-defendant Lin Bing-wen during the trial as he failed to appear, but Lin Bing-wen was shot dead in Cambodia on March 23. The entire case has been appealed and is currently under review by the Taiwan High Court. (Editor: Li Heng-shan) 1150502
Choose to stand with the facts, every sponsorship from you is the power to protect press freedom.
Download the CNA "First-hand News" APP to grasp the latest news instantly.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.