Several former and current executives of Chung Shan Hospital in Taipei were indicted on Tuesday for allegedly facilitating fake high-end health checkups used by Chinese nationals to enter Taiwan, according to prosecutors.
The defendants include former hospital presidents Lee Wei-cheng (李偉政) and Hsieh Shi-ming (謝士明), as well as current hospital vice president Lee Shi-ming (李士銘) and a secretary, according to the Taiwan Taipei District Prosecutors Office.
Three other travel agency operators were also indicted for working with the hospital to forge health checkup receipts for Chinese nationals to facilitate entry applications to Taiwan between 2016 and 2020, prosecutors said.
The defendants had earned NT$17.85 million (US$557,800) from these fake checkups to help 24,600 Chinese come to Taiwan during the four-year period, prosecutors said.
The “service” seemed to have gained popularity over time, particularly after China announced a ban on Aug. 1, 2019 that prohibited individual mainland Chinese travelers from entering Taiwan due to strained cross-strait relations.
Since then, Chinese nationals who want to come to Taiwan can only do so under group travel for government-approved activities such as seeking health examinations for no less than NT$20,000 in established medical centers.
Prosecutors said they started investigating the case earlier this year after immigration agents found that a Chinese woman involved in prostitution may have entered Taiwan for the purpose of getting a health checkup.
The defendants will be charged with violating the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area and forgery under the Criminal Code, prosecutors said.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel