By Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNA
The New Taipei District Court today sentenced Chinese immigrant Xu Chunying (徐春鶯) to seven years in prison for contravening the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法) and Banking Act (銀行法), fraud, helping Chinese nationals illegally enter Taiwan and reporting on political developments in the country.
The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said it found that Xu and Cross-Strait Marriage Harmony Promotion Association chairman Chung Chin-ming (鍾錦明) had maintained long-term contact with Yang Wentao (楊文濤), director of the Cross-Strait Marriage and Family Service Center, and Sun Xian (孫憲), vice director of the Shanghai China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification.
Xu and Chung accepted instructions to campaign and rally support for political candidates, while Xu helped Sun and her friend, Luo Ying (羅穎), enter Taiwan in October last year under the guise of a business exchange, prosecutors said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
In addition, Xu handled NT$28.75 million (US$891,611) in underground remittances, earning more than NT$240,000 in illicit proceeds, they said.
She also colluded with a friend’s company to forge labor insurance and employment documents for her daughter, fraudulently obtaining NT$26.97 million in loans, prosecutors said.
New Taipei City prosecutors in November last year secured a court order to detain Xu incommunicado. In March, they indicted Xu, her daughter, Pu Chi-cheng (卜啓正), Chung and Luo on charges including contravening the Anti-Infiltration Act and Banking Act, document forgery and fraud.
During the trial, Xu only admitted to fraudulent loan applications and illegal currency exchange activities, but denied breaching the Anti-Infiltration Act and covering up Sun’s visit to Taiwan.
Xu was released on NT$2 million bail and placed under electronic monitoring after the trial concluded on June 9.
She did not appear in court today to hear the verdict.