TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taipei District Court ruled on Friday (Nov. 1) that several people connected with Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Chair Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) have continued to evade authorities, most notably Ko’s longtime personal secretary, Hsu Chih-yu (許芷瑜).
Hsu left Taiwan for Japan on Aug. 29, one day before Ko and others were detained by prosecutors, according to Liberty Times. Authorities believe Hsu received inside information about a pending investigation and took evidence that tracked political donations to Ko along with other financial information.
On Sunday (Nov. 3), Hsu was reported to have left Japan for Australia by applying for an electronic travel visa (ETA) through a mobile app. The visa entry into Australia remains valid for up to three months, per Liberty Times.
Taiwan and Australia do not share a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), which allows information sharing or enforcing criminal law. While Japan also does not share an MLAT agreement with Taiwan, a tacit understanding of legal cooperation has existed for many years between Taiwan and Japan.
In the past, Australia has refused Taiwan's request for legal cooperation in cases involving the repatriation of wanted persons associated with telecommunications fraud or drug offenses. It is unlikely Australia will assist with the Taipei District Prosecutor's request to repatriate Hsu, a lawyer told LTN.
Taipei District Prosecutors Office issued an international wanted bulletin on Oct. 25 for the arrest of Hsu Chih-yu (許芷瑜), while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took steps to cancel Hsu’s passport.
Hsu was Ko's secretary during his two terms as mayor and she continued as he became TPP chairman. She was at high-level meetings between Ko and local business groups and is thought to have information about financial dealings.
Taipei District Prosecutors fear her trip to Japan allowed her to interact with Ko’s son, an overseas student in Japan, potentially engaging in the transfer of funds. Furthermore, the inability to question Hsu as a key witness in the Core Pacific corruption case will complicate or potentially delay the case against Ko, whose detention was recently extended by two months.