ASEAN News: A suspect in a money laundering case, Kuo Che-min, was escorted back to Taiwan from Thailand on Thursday by law enforcement officers. Kuo, who was arrested on July 27 in Thailand, was transferred to the custody of the New Taipei City District Prosecutors' Office upon his repatriation.



According to Deputy Commissioner Chen Ming-chun of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, authorities suspect that Kuo's organization is involved in fraud, money laundering, and restriction of personal liberties. Last year, police arrested 23 individuals and seized cash and real estate in several raids related to the case.

In October last year, Kuo fled to Singapore and has been traveling between Southeast Asian countries using both a Taiwanese and an alleged Cambodian passport. Malaysian authorities alerted Taiwanese investigators of Kuo's whereabouts after flagging his Cambodian passport during his travels between Malaysia and Thailand.

Kuo's organization is accused of laundering foreign currencies amounting to approximately NT$2.7 billion ($84.9 million). Officials estimate that the organization may have made NT$100 million from their illegal operations. Kuo is suspected to have collaborated with Lin Pin-wen, a Taiwanese individual linked to organized crime.

In February, the New Taipei City District Prosecutors' Office filed charges against Kuo, Lin, and their alleged accomplices for violating the Banking Act and the Money Laundering Control Act. Recently, Kuo's purported accountant, Chen Pin-yen, was also taken into custody upon her return to Taiwan from Cambodia.