Prosecutors launch investigation into death of crypto analyst

Taipei, Dec. 6 (CNA) Prosecutors have launched an investigation into a case involving the death of a cryptocurrency analyst on Wednesday following a pileup on Freeway No. 1 in Hsinchu County.

In a statement released on Friday, the Taiwan Hsinchu District Prosecutors Office said the death of crypto analyst Chen Mei-hui (陳梅慧), who had provided assistance to police and prosecutors in recent high-profile financial fraud cases, has sparked discussion about how the car crash happened.

The office said a task force, led by chief prosecutor Hung Sung-piao (洪松標), has been set up to get to the bottom of what happened.

Chen died at around 3 a.m. on Wednesday after being rushed to the hospital. Her boyfriend, surnamed Hsieh (謝), who works at the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB), is currently hospitalized.

The pair had been in a taxi they had booked from Taichung, which crashed while traveling northbound on the No. 1 Freeway in Hsinchu.

Chen, who had worked as the chief financial fraud investigator at the XREX crypto exchange, along with Hsieh and three others had been summoned for questioning by prosecutors in Taichung on Tuesday over information leaks.

After the questioning, Chen was freed without bail, while Hsieh was released on bail of NT$30,000 (US$926). The three others were also freed without bail.

Prosecutors in Taichung said the probe into Chen had been wrapped up but investigations into Hsieh would continue. Local media reported that Chen had been working with her boyfriend to investigate certain fraud cases.

Media reports widely speculated that Chen was killed in a planned car "accident" to silence her as she had a lot of information about several of the cases. They also suggested corrupt police could have played a role.

Among them was a money laundering case involving Kuo Che-min (郭哲敏), who ran "88 Lounge" -- a private club that has been known to host corrupt government officials.

The reports said it was unusual for a car pileup to happen in the early morning because there tended to be less traffic.

The Hsinchu prosecutor's office urged the public not to speculate and await the outcome of the investigation.