First Time in History! MJIB brought back two Taiwanese Convicts from Eswatini to Taiwan

A new milestone for Taiwan–Eswatini judicial cooperation in criminal practices! The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) designated the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) to execute the transfer of convicts from the Kingdom of Eswatini to Taiwan. In the evening of March 17, 2022, two Taiwanese nationals were escorted from the Kingdom of Eswatini, a Taiwan's diplomatic ally, to complete the remainder of their sentences back in Taiwan.

In 2017, two Taiwanese nationals attempted to smuggle rhino horns with a value exceeding NT$72 million on a flight from Eswatini and were uncovered in the local airport. Both of them were sentenced to 11-year imprisonment. After serving their sentence overseas for nearly 5 years, the two individuals made a petition to the Ministry of Justice via their families in Taiwan to return to Taiwan for their remaining prison term. At first, it was planned to transfer the two convicts in 2020, but the mission had to be suspended several times due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. The six-person escort team formed by the MJIB was scheduled to set off in the beginning of December last year (2021). However, the Omicron virus variant started to ravage the African continent one week prior the scheduled departure, causing all flight services to and from Eswatini and other African countries suspended. It was not until February this year (2022) that the situation improved and some flight services restored. The Ministry of Justice then carefully evaluated and deemed it necessary to resume the task. The MJIB escort team responded quickly and got prepared, soon to set off for Africa on March 11, 2022. The journey was fraught with difficulties owing to international political factors. The escort team had to transport by land and to change planes multiple times in their return trip. To carry out the mission, the MJIB sent Ho Tsung-cheng, a section chief who served twice in Thailand as legal attach and is familiar with suspects escorting across countries, to lead the six-person escort team. They overcame many obstacles and traveled a long distance to finally complete their task.

Taiwan's Transfer of Sentenced Persons Act was enacted in January 2013. Subsequently, the Ministry of Justice signed the Agreement on the Transfer of Convicted Offenders with Eswatini in February 2019, which was the first agreement on the inmate transfer signed between Taiwan and an African country. The Ministry of Justice attached much importance to this inmate transfer, inviting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the MJIB multiple times to discuss and coordinate related matters. MOJ also closely consulted with the Central Epidemic Command Center to ensure the smooth execution of the mission while complying with the rigorous COVID-19 preventive measures. With the assistance from the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Taipei Commercial Representative Office in the State of Kuwait, the MJIB cautiously evaluated current international situations and overcame challenges posed by the pandemic to accomplish this tough intercontinental mission across Asia and Africa.