First-instance verdict announced in the Dadong tainted oil case, company head Gao Zhenli sentenced to sixteen years in prison
Kao Chen-li, the head of Taitung Food, was indicted by the Changhua District Prosecutors Office on fraud charges. This morning the Changhua District Court handed down a 16-year sentence at first instance and also fined Taitung Company NT$50 million.
In addition, blending room section chief Wen Jui-pin and employee Chou Kun-ming were sentenced to 2 years and 10 months, suspended for 5 years.
Taitung Changji Food added low-priced cottonseed oil and copper chlorophyllin to oil products such as olive oil and grapeseed oil. Taitung Changji Food Factory head Kao Chen-li, blending room section chief Wen Jui-pin, and employee Chou Kun-ming were indicted by the Changhua District Prosecutors Office on charges of fraud, adulteration, and false labeling, with a demand for a 20-year sentence.
When the case was heard on November 29, Taitung Food head Kao Chen-li admitted to blending oils and adding copper chlorophyllin. He admitted to false labeling but denied fraud, while Wen Jui-pin and Chou Kun-ming both pleaded guilty. The Changhua prosecutors believed Kao Chen-li's attitude after the offense was poor, and therefore sought a 20-year sentence from the court.
At 11 a.m. today, the Changhua District Court's Eighth Courtroom delivered its verdict, sentencing Taitung head Kao Chen-li to 16 years. This case is the first verdict in the recent food safety issue and has attracted public attention. Compared with the plasticizer incident the year before last, Yu Shen Spice Company head Lai Chun-chieh was also indicted by Changhua prosecutors, and in the end the Supreme Court sentenced him to 15 years on fraud charges, which became final.
Consumers' Foundation chairman Chang Chih-kang said the Taitung verdict should have referred to the earlier plasticizer case. Given Taitung's past long-term, continuous addition of substances harmful to human health, "we definitely affirm the court's 16-year sentence; this sentence should at least make other manufacturers wary."
However, Chang Chih-kang also believes this is only a first-instance verdict and that subsequent developments still need to be watched. In addition, the illegal profits of Taitung Company also need to be dealt with together.
In addition to the criminal complaint against the person in charge, regarding consumer compensation, the Executive Yuan's Consumer Protection Office said that as of the end of November this year it had received more than 3,000 consumer complaint cases, which will be entrusted to the incorporated association Taiwan Consumers Protection Association to file a class action.
Consumers Protection Association secretary-general Lu Ying-wei said it has received the complaint cases sent by the Executive Yuan's Consumer Protection Office and is compiling the data, and expects to file the class action before the end of December this year.
As for the future development of the class action, Lu Ying-wei believes it still depends on the judge's ruling. "We hope Taitung and consumers can reach a settlement; perhaps that will help his sentence. But no matter how the class action turns out, Taitung will definitely not be allowed to get off easily."