TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Switzerland has wired US$138.04 million (NT$4.29 billion) to Taiwan in illegal commissions paid to late arms broker Andrew Wang (汪傳浦) for the purchase of frigates from France, the Ministry of Justice said Wednesday (July 19).

Wang fled Taiwan after the body of a Navy captain washed ashore in 1993. The death led to the discovery of a massive kickback scandal involving the procurement of six Lafayette frigates from France.

Wang died in London in 2015, but investigators continued to track down his assets and to ask European countries to freeze his accounts. In the meantime, Wang’s heirs fought a legal battle questioning the constitutionality of the efforts.

Switzerland’s decision to move the illegally gained funds to Taiwan capped 20 years of work by the prosecutors, CNA reported. A total of 27 accounts had been frozen by the Swiss authorities during that period, leading Taiwan to agree to split the funds on an equal basis with Switzerland, per UDN.