Taiwan-Philippines Joint Operation Leads to Repatriation of Former Army Officer Wanted for Corruption

        In a major breakthrough in international law enforcement cooperation, the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB), in coordination with Philippine authorities, successfully repatriated fugitive former Army officer Li* to Taiwan on March 25, 2025. The operation marks another milestone in cross-border anti-corruption efforts.

        Li*, a former army captain with the 6^th Army Corps, fled Taiwan in March 2020 while he was under investigation for alleged corruption during his service from 2018 to 2019. He posed as a liaison for managing military housing lease matters while using falsified land contracts and payment certificates to deceive contractors who were misled by the forged documents into transferring rental fees, land compensation, and performance bonds. The case was handled by the Taoyuan Field Office City Field Division of the MJIB and later referred to the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office, which issued a warrant for Li*’s arrest on November 17, 2020.

       Li* was located and arrested in Cebu City, Philippines, in February 2024, through cooperation between MJIB and the relevant Philippine authorities. However, repatriation efforts were initially thwarted due to a case of mistaken identity, as local authorities believed Li* to be another suspect with the same name and needed to verify and investigate whether he was involved in other cases.

        Thanks to the persistent efforts of MJIB’s legal attaché and the immigration secretary of the National Immigration Agency (NIA) in the Philippines—and through close cooperation with the Philippine authorities—the legal confusion was eventually resolved. On March 25, officers from both countries escorted Li* back to Taiwan, where he was immediately arrested and taken into custody by the Taoyuan City Field Division of the MJIB and handed over to the prosecutors.

        The case highlights MJIB’s ongoing efforts to pursue fugitives overseas and its determination to combat transnational crime through international collaboration.