Details of fugitive oil exec's capture released; 2 accomplices held

Taipei, March 25 (CNA) Prosecutors and a witness on Wednesday shared details on the arrest of an oil executive who vanished days before being sentenced to 25 years in prison for corruption, while two people suspected of aiding his escape have also been taken into custody.

Hsu Han (徐漢), the former head of state-run oil supplier CPC Corp., Taiwan's refinery division, went missing on March 19 after breaking and removing his ankle monitor in Pingtung's Wanluan Township.

He was sentenced on Monday by the Ciaotou District Court to 25 years in prison and was captured by police the following day.

At a press briefing Wednesday morning, Ciaotou Deputy Chief Prosecutor Yen Yu-shan (顏郁山) said that on the morning of March 19, Hsu took a bus to THSR Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung, and then boarded a Taiwan Railway train to Chaozhou Station in Pingtung.

From there, Hsu took a taxi to the Chaozhou Bridge -- which crosses the Donggang River on the north end of Chaozhou -- where he used an angle grinder and other tools to break off his ankle monitor, Yen said.

Investigators retrieved the monitor and Hsu's phone from the river two days later.

Prosecutors and police immediately launched a search for Hsu, and on March 20, searched the home of a female friend of Hsu's in her 50s, surnamed Lin (林), whom they detained.

Police later discovered that Hsu and Lin had traveled to the Wanluan area and visited local temples several times recently, in what were likely trips to plan out his escape.

From Wanluan Township, Hsu was picked up by a man in his 30s, also surnamed Lin, who drove him to the Kinchen Mountain (金針山) area, west of Taimali in Taitung County.

The male Lin was also described by prosecutors as a "friend" of Hsu's.

According to Yen, investigators confirmed Hsu and the male Lin's location -- at a rural bed and breakfast -- on Sunday, and sent officers disguised as tourists to ambush them at around 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

Officers also seized over NT$200,000 (US$6,257) in cash from Hsu, Yen said.

Bed and breakfast owner's account

The bed and breakfast where Hsu and Lin stayed was in a highly isolated mountainous area and was not open for business at the time.

The owner, who spoke to reporters late Tuesday but wished to remain anonymous, said he received a call before Hsu and Lin arrived, and initially refused to put them up, because the property was still undergoing repairs following storm damage.

The caller, however, claimed that Hsu was in poor health and urgently needed a place to rest and recover in the mountains, and the owner ultimately agreed to let them rent a room.

The proprietor said Lin, who claimed to be Hsu's driver, had stayed at the bed and breakfast a year ago, adding that he had not bothered to go through the normal check-in procedures, such as making a copy of his guests' IDs.

After checking in, both men wore masks the entire time. The owner said he found this "strange," but did not know Hsu was a fugitive because he "hadn't been watching the news."

During their stay, the men did not leave the property and instead spent most of their time going on walks or using their phones. They often asked for help picking up groceries or food from restaurants in town, the owner said.

Hsu frequently offered tips about landscaping, which he seemed to know a lot about, the proprietor said.

On the evening they were captured, a man arrived at the bed and breakfast to ask if any rooms were available, causing Lin to quickly go and notify Hsu, the owner said.

Shortly after, four police cars pulled up, and a number of officers entered and arrested Lin in the kitchen.

At that point, Hsu lay down on the ground and did not resist being searched, though he told officers he had heart disease and asked them not to press him too hard, the bed and breakfast owner said.

• On-the-run CPC executive captured in Taitung

Hsu's escape attempt investigated

Following Hsu's arrest, the Ciaotou District Court approved a request to place him in incommunicado detention pending additional charges for jumping bail and destroying his ankle monitor.

According to a United Daily News report, prosecutors are looking into whether Lin, the driver, was acting on instructions from an organized criminal group.

There is also speculation that Hsu may have initially planned to flee the country, but, unable to arrange it on short notice, decided to lay low in the mountains and flee at a later date, the UDN report said.

Hsu, in his mid-60s, was sentenced on Monday on 11 corruption-related charges, including accepting NT$16.86 million in bribes from CPC contractors.