Supreme Court upholds 6-year sentence for human trafficker

Taipei, Sept. 11 (CNA) Taiwan's Supreme Court upheld a prison sentence of six years and four months for a man who trafficked five Taiwanese people to work in fraud rings in Myanmar.

The Supreme Court ruling on Sept. 3 upheld Hsiao Yung-ping's (蕭詠平) prison term from a March Taiwan High Court verdict but ordered a retrial of the lower court's decision to confiscate his illegal gains, citing insufficient evidence.

According to the court, Hsiao recruited victims through Instagram ads promising "high-paying overseas jobs."

Hsiao told the victims the jobs involved casino advertising and customer service, with wages ranging from NT$30,000 (US$891) to NT$1 million per month, and that they would be able to return to Taiwan whenever they wanted, the court said.

Instead, the victims were flown to Thailand, smuggled into Myanmar and forced to carry out online scams under strict quotas.

An anonymous victim testified that those who failed to meet targets were punished by being forced to jump up down or run. The victim said they were held in guarded compounds, where armed men blocked escape, with those who tried to leave tortured.

When the victim asked to return to Taiwan, Hsiao's Chinese accomplice who managed their compound in Myanmar claimed leaving early violated a "contract" and demanded NT$160,000 or a replacement worker.

The victim was eventually freed after paying NT$70,000 from wages, with the rest paid by their girlfriend.

Hsiao was first convicted by the Taipei District Court in June 2023 and sentenced to six years and four months for human trafficking, which he appealed.

In the appeal court, the Taiwan High Court upheld the sentence and ordered the confiscation of his illegal gains, totaling NT$250,000.

Thursday's ruling regarding the prison sentence is final.