Tainted oil maker jailed for 20 years in final verdict - Taipei ...

The Supreme Court yesterday issued a final verdict in the case of unlicensed cooking oil producer Kuo Lieh-cheng (郭烈成), ... Home TaiwanNews Thu,Feb13,2020page2 Taintedoilmakerjailedfor20yearsinfinalverdict ByJasonPan/Staffreporter TheSupremeCourtyesterdayissuedafinalverdictinthecaseofunlicensedcookingoilproducerKuoLieh-cheng(郭烈成),orderingacombinedsentenceof20yearsinprisonforaggravatedfraudandbreachesoftheActGoverningFoodSafetyandSanitation(食品安全衛生管理法). KuohadoperatedanundergroundcookingoilfactoryinPingtungCounty’sJhutianTownship(竹田)thatsuppliedprocessedoilmaterialstoKaohsiung-basedChangGuannCo(強冠企業),whichmadevarious“fragrantlard”productsthatweresoldnationwideundertheChuanTungbrandandgeneratedprofitestimatedatNT$6.5million(US$216,436atthecurrentexchangerate). AninvestigationpointedtoKuoasoneoftheprinciplefiguresinthe2014taintedoilscandal,alongwithChangGuannexecutivesandPingtung-basedanimalfeedproducerChingWeiCo(進威). RelatedcasesthatyearembroiledTingHsinInternationalGroup(頂新集團),aswellasitssubsidiariesWeiChuanFoodCorp(味全)andChengIFoodCo(正義食品),whichpurchasedoilproductsfromChangGuannfortheproductionoffoodproducts. JudgesyesterdayupheldtheverdictinthesecondretriallastyearbytheKaohsiungbranchoftheHighCourt,whichfoundKuoguiltyofeightoffenses,eachcarryingajailtermofbetweentwoandthreeyears,foracombined20-yearprisonsentence,whichKuo’sdefenseteamappealedtotheSupremeCourt. Asyesterday’srulingisthefinalverdict,38-year-oldKuo,whoduringthelegalproceedingschangedhisnametoKuoYing-chih(郭盈志),istoserveoutthesentence. Inlastyear’sHighCourtretrial,Kuo’semployeeShihMin-yu(施閔毓)washandedareduced20-monthterm,fromaninitial30months,afterbeingfoundguiltyofinvolvementinthescheme. ProsecutorshadfoundthatKuoandShihboughtrecycledoilfromleathergoodsfactories,hogfeedproducers,fishprocessingplants,restaurantgreasetrapsandkitchenfryers,aswellasinferior-gradefatlabeledasnotforhumanconsumption. Theinvestigationhadfoundthatatthefactory,thetwomenmixedandprocessedthematerialsintowhattheylabeledas“cookingoilproducts,”whichKuoclaimedwerefitforhumanconsumptionandsoldtoChangGuann. ChangGuannthenusedtheoilsatitsfoodmanufacturingplantstomakevariousproducts,includingthe“fragrantlard,”whichweresoldtonearly300foodretailersandmarketgrocers,eventuallyendingupinrestaurants,streetfoodvendorsandhomesnationwide,prosecutorssaidintheirindictment. Inthefirstrulinginthecase,thePingtungDistrictCourtinJuly2015convictedKuoandShihofaggravatedfraudandcontraventionsoftheact,handingKuoa12-yearsentenceandShihaneight-yearterm. ThemenappealedandinAugust2016theHighCourtupheldtheirconvictions,butincreasedKuo’ssentenceto23yearsandsixmonths,whilereducingShih’stermto30months. Afteranotherappeal,theHighCourtin2018reducedbothoftheirterms,withKuogiven19yearsandfourmonths,whileShih’ssentencewasreducedto20months. Commentswillbemoderated.Keepcommentsrelevanttothearticle.Remarkscontainingabusiveandobscenelanguage,personalattacksofanykindorpromotionwillberemovedandtheuserbanned.FinaldecisionwillbeatthediscretionoftheTaipeiTimes. MostPopular 1MusktauntsBernieSandersoverwealthtax 2BureaulooksintostudentswhoreceivedPfizershotsafterseconddosesuspended 3US,ChinatradeTaiwanwarnings 4Taiwan’squarantinehotelblues 5Biden,XiatloggerheadsoverTaiwan Youmightalsolike BureaulooksintostudentswhoreceivedPfizershotsafterseconddosesuspended 2021-11-13 TheKeelungCityHealthBureauhaslaunchedaninvestigationafterhigh-schoolstudentsweregivenaseconddoseofthePfizer-BioNTechCOVID-19vaccinetwoweeksago,despiteacentralgovernmentdecisiontosuspendseconddosesforteenagers. AtacitycouncilmeetingonWednesday,KeelungCouncilorLinMin-hsun(林旻勳)saidthat450studentsatNuannuanSeniorHighSchoolhadreceivedtheirsecondPfizer-BioNTechdoseonOct.29. BureauheadWuTse-cheng(吳澤誠)saidthathisofficeinthemiddleoflastmonthnotifiedmedicalfacilitiesandschoolsinthecitytosuspendprovisionofthevaccinestothoseaged12to17. No CECCexplainsrulesfornewquarantineoptions 2021-11-17 INDETAIL: TravelersarrivingfromDec.14toFeb.14canselectthreequarantineoptions,butpeoplelivingwiththemmustalsofollowdisease-preventionregulationsTheCentralEpidemicCommandCenter(CECC)yesterdayreportedtwoimportedcasesofCOVID-19asitannounceddetailedrulesforthethreequarantineoptionsfortravelersarrivinginTaiwanfromDec.14toFeb.14. CentersforDiseaseControl(CDC)DeputyDirector-GeneralChuangJen-hsiang(莊人祥),theCECC’sspokesman,saidnolocalCOVID-19infectionsordeathswerereportedyesterday. Thetwoimportedcasesaretwomen,aged20to40,whoarrivedfromCambodiaandIreland,hesaid,addingthatonetestedpositiveuponarrivalandtheotheruponendingquarantine. CDCDeputyDirector-GeneralPhilipLo(羅一鈞),deputychiefoftheCECC’smedicalresponsedivision, ByLeeI-chia Quarantineoffensestobepenalizedharshly:CECC 2021-11-14 MIX-UP: ATaipeiclinichadgiventheModernavaccineto23peoplewhohadregisteredforaseconddoseoftheAstraZenecajab,thecityhealthdepartmentsaidThosewhocontraveneLunarNewYearholidayquarantinemeasureswouldfaceharshpenalties,theCentralEpidemicCommandCenter(CECC)saidyesterday. ThecenterlastweekannouncedtwoadditionalquarantineoptionsforTaiwanesewhoarriveinthenationbetweenDec.14andFeb.14nextyear,asasurgeofinboundtravelersisexpectedbeforethestartoftheLunarNewYearholidayinlateJanuary. TravelerswhoarefullyvaccinatedagainstCOVID-19canstayforsevendaysinaquarantinehotelorself-paidcentralizedfacilityfollowedbysevendaysofquarantiningathome,whileotherscanquarantinefor10daysina ByLeeI-chia EvidencelackingtochargeChinaexecutives 2021-11-13 TwoexecutivesfromaHongKongcompanybelievedtohaveconspiredwithChineseintelligenceagentswillnotbechargedwithbreachingtheNationalSecurityAct(國家安全法)duetoalackofevidence,theTaipeiDistrictProsecutors’Officesaidyesterday. However,ChinaInnovationInvestmentchiefexecutiveXiangXin(向心)andhiswife,alternateboardmemberKungChing(龔青),arestillbarredfromleavingTaiwan,pendinganongoingtrialconcerningallegedmoneylaundering,theofficesaid. TwootherpeoplewhohavebeeninvestigatedfortheirtiestoXiangandKungwillalsonotbechargedwithbreachingtheNationalSecurityActduetoa Copyright©1999-2021TheTaipeiTimes.Allrightsreserved.