Taoyuan bank employee probed for embezzling NT$6.29 million

Taipei, Oct. 6 (CNA) An employee at a Taiwan First Bank branch in Taoyuan's Bade District is being investigated for allegedly embezzling NT$6.29 million (US$194,574) in cash, the bank and local police said.

In a statement issued Saturday, Taiwan First Bank said its Danan Branch had requested an audit after discovering a shortage of cash in its reserves.

The bank found on Oct. 4 that an employee had embezzled NT$6.29 million from its reserves, and immediately reported the matter to Taiwan First Bank's head office and local police, the statement said.

While doing inventory on the cash in its vault on Friday, bank employees noticed that each bundle of cash was missing NT$2,000-NT$3,000, a person with knowledge of the matter, who wished to remain anonymous, told local media.

During a subsequent audit, a bank teller supervisor at the branch surnamed Lee (李) admitted to taking a few NT$1,000 bills from the bundles each time he conducted inventory, accumulating NT$6.291 million in illicit gains, the source said.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Liang Chung-ming (梁仲銘), deputy chief of the Taoyuan Police Department's Bade Precinct, said his precinct opened an investigation after the bank branch reported the alleged financial crime on Friday.

Police have summoned the suspect for questioning, and once all of the missing funds are located, the suspect will be turned over to prosecutors to be investigated on suspicion of embezzlement, Liang said.

Taiwan First Bank added that its customers' interests would not be affected by the theft, and that it is looking at ways to tighten its internal procedures to ensure that such incidents don't happen in the future.