TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A Spanish national wanted for fraud in Italy was forced to leave Taiwan early Saturday (Oct. 19), despite a court ruling in his favor against an order for deportation by the National Immigration Agency (NIA).
Salvador Alejandro Llinas Onate, 47, was allegedly involved in the illegal sale of approximately 1,200 cars from a rental company in Italy for a value of NT$1 billion (US$31 million). He fled the country in 2019 and arrived in Taiwan,where he obtained an Alien Resident Certificate and managed a restaurant.
After Interpol issued a Red Notice for Llinas, the NIA located him and issued an order to leave Taiwan. However, the Taipei High Administrative Court ruled Saturday that the NIA had made procedural mistakes and ordered the suspect to be released.
The NIA told Llinas on Thursday (Oct. 17) that he needed to attend a hearing the following day, which he said did not give him enough time to prepare, per CNA. He asked for a delay, but the hearing went ahead without him and resulted a ruling that called for his deportation.
Llinas argued that his movements and contacts had been restricted, with three hours needed before he could contact his attorney prior to the hearing. In addition, he maintained he did not understand the reasons for his deportation.
The suspect then filed an appeal against the deportation while on a flight to Singapore, which the NIA had put him on, per Liberty Times. By the time the court overturned the ruling for deportation on Saturday and ordered the NIA to set him free, he had already been deported.
The NIA said Llinas would not be allowed to return, CNA reported. The review of his case concluded that he posed a threat to Taiwan’s interests, public safety, or public order, which validated his deportation. He has also been listed as a persona non grata, meaning he will be refused entry even if he succeeds in boarding a flight back to Taiwan, the NIA said.