Minister of Justice-designate Chiu Tai-san (CNA file photo)
Taipei, April 19 (CNA) Taiwan and China should reach an agreement to deal with different types of fraud cases to complement the existing Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, Minister of Justice-designate Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) said Tuesday.
Chiu made the suggestion as a delegation, to be headed by Chen Wen-chi (陳文琪), director of the Ministry of Justice’s Department of International and Cross-Strait Legal Affairs, is set to head to China on Wednesday to negotiate the fate of 45 Taiwanese nationals being detained there for alleged telecommunications fraud.
The 45 Taiwanese are suspected of being part of a criminal ring that was defrauding people in China from a base in Kenya.
There are several types of fraud cases in question, including those involving Taiwanese fraudsters and Taiwanese victims, Taiwanese suspected of defrauding Chinese, Taiwanese suspected of defrauding Taiwanese and Chinese victims in a third country, Taiwanese and Chinese suspects targeting Chinese victims in a third country and Chinese suspects targeting China-based Taiwanese victims, Chiu said.
With the existing agreement in place aimed at bolstering joint crime-fighting efforts between Taiwan and China, the two sides should examine issues such as by what means and by whom different types of fraud cases should be dealt with, and who should provide data to facilitate investigations into such cases, Chiu suggested.
The two sides should reach a consensus on concrete measures to boost joint crime-fighting efforts and to step up bilateral cooperation in this field, Chiu said, adding that for instance, Taiwan has devised several anti-fraud mechanisms which could be provided for China’s reference.
(By Sophia Yeh and Evelyn Kao)
