Taipei: A former army captain charged with corruption was repatriated to Taiwan on Tuesday afternoon in a joint mission by Taiwanese and Filipino authorities, according to the Ministry of Justice's Investigation Bureau (MJIB).
According to Focus Taiwan, the ex-military man, Lee Chen-yu, had been detained in the Philippines for over a year after he was arrested by Filipino authorities in Cebu in February 2024. His arrest was based on information from the MJIB that identified him as a fugitive. However, the Filipino authorities initially refused to deport Lee to Taiwan due to a case of mistaken identity, as they confused him with another fugitive bearing the same name. This confusion necessitated further investigation to determine whether Lee was involved in other cases.
Through coordination between Taiwan officials in the Philippines and Filipino authorities, Lee was ultimately deported to Taiwan. Upon his return, MJIB officials arrested him in Taoyuan on Tuesday.
As a project officer for a military unit overseeing veterans dependents' villages in 2018 and 2019, Lee allegedly used fake documents to solicit rent and security deposits from contractors seeking space in these areas. This act was in violation of the Anti-Corruption Act.
The Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office had earlier ordered the MJIB to investigate the case; however, Lee fled to the Philippines in March 2020, which led to him being listed as a fugitive by the MJIB.