Wei Ying-chung sentenced to four years in the Wei Chuan blended oil case, says he has a clear conscience
In the case where Wei Chuan had long purchased inferior olive oil mixed with copper chlorophyll from Chang Chi Foodstuff Factory and then blended it into more than 10 kinds of vegetable oil, after a year and a half of trial, the Taipei District Court ruled today that, under charges of fraud and violation of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, former Wei Chuan chairman Wei Ying-chun was sentenced to 4 years in prison, former general manager Chang Mei-feng to 3 years and 10 months in prison, and Wei Chuan was also fined 15.5 million yuan. Earlier, both Wei Chuan and the lawyer representing Wei Ying-chun said that all of Wei Chuan had faithfully fulfilled its duties and had absolutely done nothing illegal, and would appeal again.
Wei Ying-chun himself said via text message, "I am grateful to the judiciary. There are some misunderstandings regarding the facts. I will humbly reflect and keep working hard. We have absolutely no bad intentions and have a clear conscience, and I am also grateful to our employees, close relatives and friends, and everyone who has accompanied us along the way. Ying-chun, with gratitude and palms joined."
At the end of 2013, Chang Chi Foodstuff Factory broke out in a case of imported extra-grade olive oil being adulterated with low-cost sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, and copper chlorophyll, shocking all sectors. Among them, Ting Hsin Group and Wei Chuan Group were suspected of using Chang Chi Foodstuff Factory olive oil as a raw material, then packaging it as Italian-style blended oil, grapeseed oil and other products, and selling them at high prices.
When the Chang Chi Foodstuff Factory case broke out, Ting Hsin and Wei Chuan Group did not admit at the first moment that they had used Chang Chi Foodstuff Factory olive oil, and only after the Pingtung County Government conducted an on-site inspection did it come to light. The case was investigated by the Taipei District Prosecutors Office, and in October 2014, on charges of fraud, false labeling, and violation of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, it indicted 13 people including former chairman Wei Ying-chun, who concurrently served at Ting Hsin and Wei Chuan, and former Ting Hsin general manager Chang Mei-feng.
At the time of indictment, the Taipei District Prosecutors Office pointed out that Wei Ying-chun, Chang Mei-feng and others, in order to reduce costs, stopped importing olive oil from Spain in 2007 and instead switched to buying inferior olive oil mixed with copper chlorophyll from Chang Chi Foodstuff Factory, and commissioned Ting Hsin to blend it into "Healthy Kitchen 100% PUER Grade Imported" olive oil and grapeseed oil.
The Taipei District Prosecutors Office further pointed out that although the quality assurance department found abnormal fatty acids in Chang Chi's oil products during acceptance inspection, Wei Ying-chun still instructed the purchase of inferior olive oil mixed with copper chlorophyll, and demanded that Chung Mei-yu, director of the Central Research Institute, revise and relax the acceptance specifications, allowing Ting Hsin to smoothly accept the inferior blended oil and then sell it to Wei Chuan. The entire adulteration process lasted as long as 6 years.
In addition, the "98 Project" established on Wei Ying-chun's instructions used 98% low-priced palm oil as an ingredient, adding only 1 to 2% olive oil or grapeseed oil, to make dozens of blended oils such as "Wei Chuan Green (Purple) Fruit Polyphenol Blend Oil," and changed the bottle body to a dark color in order to deceive consumers.
The Taipei District Court's verdict was released today. On the purchase of Chang Chi Foodstuff Factory blended oil, Wei Ying-chun was sentenced to 2 years in prison under the crime of fraudulently obtaining property, and on the 98 blended oil project he was sentenced to 2 years and 2 months, for a combined sentence of 4 years in prison. Chang Mei-feng was sentenced to 1 year and 10 months for purchasing Chang Chi Foodstuff Factory blended oil and 2 years and 2 months for the 98 blended oil project, for a combined sentence of 3 years and 10 months in prison.
In addition, the Taipei District Prosecutors Office's additional indictment in May 2015 of Ting Hsin for purchasing feed oil from Dai Hanh Phuc of Vietnam was transferred to the Changhua District Court for trial, and the Taipei District Court did not accept it.