Prosecutors Indict 8 in Lafayette Frigate Case

Taiwan Government News, After more than six years of investigation, the Taipei District Prosecutor's office on Thursday indicted a former navy captain, a fugitive arms broker, and members of their families on charges of graft for their roles in a wide-reaching scandal in connection with Taiwan's procurement of six Lafayette-class frigates from France in 1991. 
 
Andrew Wang, the Taiwan agent of French arms supplier Thompson-CSF, his wife Yeh Hsiu-chen and their four children were all indicted on changes of obtaining illegal commissions on the Lafayette deal. 
 
Also prosecuted in the case were Kuo Li-heng, a former naval captain who has been imprisoned for years for involvement in another corruption case, and his brother Kuo Wen-tien. 
 
In the indictment, prosecutors recommended harsher-than-usual punishment for Wang, who fled Taiwan following the death of naval Captain Yin Ching-feng under suspicious circumstances more than 13 years ago. 
 
Yin was the head of the navy's arms procurement office. His body was found floating in the sea off the east coast of Taiwan in late 1993. Yin was believed to have been poised to blow the whistle on colleagues who had allegedly taken illegal kickbacks on the Lafayette deal. 
 
Yin's death prompted the authorities to look into possible irregularities and to investigate officials who might have benefited from the Lafayette and other weapons deals. 
 
No former government officials, such as former President Lee Teng-hui and former Chief of the General Staff Hau Pei-tsun, were indicted in the case as prosecutors could not find direct evidence proving any link to the kickback scandal. 
 
The Ministry of National Defense offered a reward of NT$100 million for anyone who could help crack the Lafayette case. Up to this point, no one has come forward to give evidence, despite the government's promise to protect the safety of informers and to grant amnesty to anyone who agrees to be material witnesses.