Head of major Taiwan bank held over ‘illegal loans’

TAIPEI: The head of a major Taiwanese bank has been detained on suspicion of granting illegal loans, just months after another banking scandal rocked the island’s financial sector.

SinoPac Holdings chairman Ho Shou-chuan and two others are being probed over an alleged Tw$5 billion (RM704 million) of loans made to an “offshore company with no real operations”.

It is not yet clear what relationship they have with the firm that received the money. The case comes after the ex-chairman of Mega International Commercial Bank was indicted in December on charges including insider trading.

That followed a massive US$180 million (RM769 million) fine slapped on Mega by American authorities after they said they found “suspicious transactions” between its New York and Panama branches.

Taipei District Court approved on Sunday a request by prosecutors to take Sinopac’s Ho and the other two suspects into custody, saying there was a risk of evidence tampering or collusion.

“(Ho) and the others are suspected of jointly violating laws including the Securities and Exchange Act and breach of trust,” prosecutors said.

No formal charges have been made yet.

The case revolves around alleged illegal lending to a company called J&R Trading Co by a SinoPac subsidiary since 2009.

Local media said the funds were routed to finance an investment into a commercial building in Shanghai.

According to the court statement, Ho insisted at most he is accountable for “administrative negligence” and did not cause the company any damage.

SinoPac said it will cooperate with the investigation and that its operations are continuing as normal.

Two other people critical in the probe have not been questioned yet as they are out of the country, the court said Sunday. – AFP