TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taichung District Court on Friday overturned an earlier decision to let Central Union Oil Corp. CEO Yu Ling-chung (余凌冲) out on bail of NT$20 million (US$617,000).
The company has been at the center of a tainted cooking oil scandal. An estimated 1,300 tonnes of its soybean oil produced in April contained excessive levels of the carcinogen Benzo[a]pyrene, leading to massive recalls affecting products from a wide range of brands.
Prosecutors fought the decision to allow Yu out on bail, leading to the Taiwan High Court sending the issue back to Taichung District Court, per UDN. The latter decided Friday afternoon to revoke the bail decision and order Yu detained.
Prosecutors argued that there was a need to prevent the executive from forging documents, destroying evidence, and colluding with accomplices. The district court initially reasoned that the restrictions accompanying bail, such as limiting Yu’s movements, were sufficient.
Prosecutors appealed the July 10 bail decision, leading to the high court sending the ruling back to the district court. Considering Yu’s wide network of connections in the food industry and the impact of the tainted oil scandal, the district court was asked to reconsider the case.
The opposition KMT called on government leaders to resign to take responsibility for the scandal, while announcing Friday it would hold a protest rally near the Presidential Office Building on July 25, the Liberty Times reported.
