Missing ex-CPC oil exec put on wanted list ahead of sentencing

Kaohsiung, March 20 (CNA) The Ciaotou District Court on Friday placed a former executive of state-run CPC Corp., Taiwan on a wanted list, and forfeited his NT$5 million (US$156,449) bail after he went missing ahead of sentencing for corruption.

A circular order for the arrest of Hsu Han (徐漢) was issued at 10:30 a.m., the Kaohsiung-based court said in a statement, after prosecutors and police were unable to locate him.

His sentencing was scheduled for Monday, and he had been warned that failure to appear could result in detention, the court added.

Currently, in his mid-60s, Hsu took over as chief executive of CPC Corp., Taiwan's refinery division in Kaohsiung's Nanzih District in 2019.

• Ex-CPC oil exec goes missing days before sentencing for corruption

In January 2022, Ciaotou prosecutors and officials from the Ministry of Justice's Agency Against Corruption searched Hsu's office, seizing NT$27.1 million (US$848,177) in cash.

Prosecutors alleged Hsu used his NT$200 million procurement authority to steer eight purchasing contracts worth nearly NT$1 billion to select companies, which in turn paid him NT$16.86 million in bribes.

In May that year, prosecutors indicted Hsu and 20 other suspects from three companies for violations of the Anti-Corruption Act and other crimes.

After being detained for over a year leading up to his trial, Hsu -- who alone among the suspects maintained his innocence -- was granted NT$5 million bail in June 2023.

He was banned from leaving the country and required to wear an ankle monitor, checking in electronically from home via a monitoring app every Wednesday and Saturday evening between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.

After Hsu checked in on Wednesday night, authorities were notified the next day that his ankle monitor had been removed near Wanluan Township in Pingtung County, the Ciaotou District Court said.

Kaohsiung's Nanzih Precinct with assistance from Pingtung prosecutors were immediately deployed to locate Hsu, while the court also called on the Coast Guard Administration and the National Immigration Agency to help in the search.

However, as of Friday morning Hsu was nowhere to be found, leading to the issue of the circular order for his arrest.