7 indicted in cosmetic clinic hidden-cameras case

Taipei, June 25 (CNA) The New Taipei District Prosecutors Office on Thursday indicted seven people for their involvement in a hidden-cameras scandal linked to aesthetic clinic chain Airlee.

According to a statement from prosecutors, those indicted include Airlee Group Co., Ltd. Chairman Chang Ju-shan (常如山), group president Liu Chen-hua (劉貞華), special assistant Chang Yuan-ling (張元齡), equipment supplier Hsieh Chin-heng (謝金亨), and an accountant surnamed Tsai (蔡).

The five face charges including secretly recording the non-public activities of customers without justification, unlawfully recording sexual content, filming sexual content involving minors, and violating the Personal Data Protection Act, prosecutors said.

Hsieh's wife and son were also indicted on charges of destroying evidence after allegedly assisting him in removing and deleting recordings.

Prosecutors said Chang Ju-shan and Liu had cameras disguised as smoke detectors installed in at least seven Airlee branches between 2019 and Dec. 24, 2025, secretly recording customers while they were changing or their private parts were exposed.

After a customer discovered one of the devices and reported it to police on May 1, Chang Ju-shan, Liu and Chang Yuan-ling allegedly instructed Hsieh, who had long supplied the equipment, to dismantle the camera and delete footage, according to the indictment.

After seeing the customer's social media post about the incident the following day, Airlee officials allegedly ordered Hsieh to remove hidden cameras from branches across Taiwan, beginning in Taipei and moving southward. Hsieh's wife and son were also involved in the effort, prosecutors said.

Police arrested Hsieh in Taichung on May 3.

Investigators have identified 99 victims, including four minors, across the seven branches involved in the case. Prosecutors said investigations into additional branches are ongoing.

According to prosecutors, the defendants seriously violated victims' rights to privacy, dignity and bodily autonomy, breached professional ethics, and undermined public trust.

They also allegedly attempted to destroy evidence after learning of the police investigation and showed no remorse during questioning, shifting the blame to one another.

Prosecutors are seeking prison sentences of no less than 14 years for Chang Ju-shan, 13 years for Liu, 12 years for Chang Yuan-ling, and nine years each for Hsieh and Tsai.

Prosecutors added that evidence collected so far indicates the recordings were not backed up to cloud storage and there is no evidence that the footage was leaked.

Chang Ju-shan, Chang Yuan-ling and Hsieh have been held incommunicado since May 8.

The case has also prompted investigations into several other cosmetic clinic chains over similar allegations.