Changhua Court backs plaintiff's compensation claim in scam case

Taipei, Dec. 27 (CNA) The Changhua District Court has ruled in favor of a plaintiff seeking NT$17.85 million (US$543,569) in compensation in a fraud case, and ordered the defendant to pay the sum demanded, it said in a statement Friday.

The court said it made the decision as a part of a supplementary civil case that was attached to a criminal case surrounding a financial scam.

Between Aug. 17 and Sept. 15, 2023, a Changhua man, surnamed Lin (林), was scammed into making 22 wire transfers totaling NT$17.85 million.

Lin was apparently notified by scammers that he was involved in a criminal case and had to transfer the money to the accounts designated to make it possible for the "authorities" to investigate.

After realizing that he was scammed, Lin reported the case to Changhua police, who started a criminal investigation.

Changhua prosecutors and the police eventually tracked down a man, surnamed Chang (張), who was found to have provided four bank accounts into which Lin had transferred funds.

While Changhua prosecutors indicted Chang on criminal charges related to his fraudulent scam, Lin attached a civil case against Chang in an attempt to get his millions returned.

During the hearing of the cases, which were tried together, Chang argued that he lent the accounts to former colleagues who had asked for his help in making the co-workers' own accounts look more presentable.

Chang said he was unaware that his former co-workers were members of a scam syndicate who used his accounts for illegal acts.

As Chang was unable to prove his story, however, the court said the judge did not take Chang's testimony into account.

According to the official ruling, the judge found that Chang had violated the law by engaging in a scam, but said there was no evidence showing that he had assisted a scamming syndicate of three or more people.

The judge apparently came to the ruling that Chang violated Taiwan's laws, such as the Money Laundering Control Act, because of the sheer number of bank accounts Chang had provided for others to be able to reap illicit gains from just one victim.

On Dec. 19, the Changhua District Court sentenced Chang to six months in prison.

The court also ruled in favor of Lin's civil case against Chang the same day and ordered the defendant to pay NT$17.85 million to the plaintiff.