Political Victim Sentenced to 4 Years for Money Laundering in Sale of Stolen Chang Dai-chien Painting

(CNA, Taipei, 19th) Political victim Liu Chen-tan, who possessed the stolen painting "Spring Mountain, Cloudy Waterfall," a gift from master painter Chang Dai-chien to his friend Huang Chun-pi, was indicted by the Taipei District Prosecutors Office. The Taipei District Court today sentenced Liu to four years in prison for money laundering, with a fine of NT$3 million, and ordered the confiscation of NT$130 million in unseized criminal proceeds. The internationally renowned auction house Sotheby's held a Chinese paintings and calligraphy auction in October 2019, with a catalog featuring Chang Dai-chien's "Spring Mountain, Cloudy Waterfall" painted for Huang Chun-pi's birthday, estimated at the time to be worth up to HK$38 million (about NT$152 million). Huang Chun-pi's daughter, Huang Hsiang-ling, upon learning this, stated in an interview that their home was burglarized twice in 1990, and many paintings were stolen, "Spring Mountain, Cloudy Waterfall" being one of them. After discovering the auction information, she immediately contacted Sotheby's to withdraw the painting, but they requested a police report and Huang Chun-pi's will. However, 30 years after the incident, neither document was available. Huang Hsiang-ling hired a lawyer to report the case to the Daan Precinct of the Taipei City Police Department, filing a complaint for dealing in stolen goods. The police reported to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office for command of the investigation. The prosecutor at the time requested the Ministry of Justice's Department of International and Cross-Strait Legal Affairs and the Mainland Affairs Council to contact Sotheby's to take the painting down and trace its origin. It was discovered that the painting was purchased by a Chinese collector from Liu Chen-tan in 2019 for NT$130 million. Liu Chen-tan is a victim of the White Terror period. In 1971, he was arrested by the Taiwan Garrison Command for involvement in the "Tainan USIS bombing" and the "Taipei Citibank bombing" and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. After appeals and rescue efforts by international human rights groups, his sentence was reduced to 5 years and 8 months. He once served as the chairman of the Taiwan Association for the Care of Political Prisoners during the Martial Law Period. When Liu appeared in court, he presented proof of origin, claiming he bought the painting in 1995 for NT$1.5 million, insisting he did not buy stolen goods. He said he sold the painting in 2019 because he was getting old and wanted to organize his belongings. To determine if the painting was stolen, prosecutors went to the National Central Library to find news reports of the theft from that year and summoned Huang Chun-pi's student Chang Fu-ying and Huang Hsiang-ling to testify, confirming that Huang Chun-pi was deeply distressed by the theft of "Spring Mountain, Cloudy Waterfall" and died in sorrow. Investigators also looked into the prices of Chang Dai-chien's paintings at the time and found a key witness, concluding that Liu likely knew the painting was stolen when he bought it, constituting the crime of "knowingly purchasing stolen goods" under the Criminal Code. However, the 20-year statute of limitations had passed, so he was not prosecuted for that charge. But prosecutors argued that Liu's purchase of the painting in 1995 and its sale in 2019 constituted the act of possessing and concealing proceeds from a major crime under the Money Laundering Control Act, and indicted him in 2021. The case, after about five years of trial, during which jurisdiction was transferred, concluded today with the Taipei District Court sentencing Liu to four years in prison and a fine of NT$3 million for money laundering. The unseized criminal proceeds of NT$130 million were ordered to be confiscated, or its value pursued if confiscation is wholly or partially impossible or inappropriate. The court has not yet explained the factual findings and sentencing reasons for the judgment. (Editor: Li Heng-shan) 1150519