The six cannot be named yet because their names are contained in an uncontested affidavit that has to be filed with Taipei District Court. This is likely to happen todat, when the final defense hearing takes place.
One of the prosecutors handling the case told the Post-Courier from Taiwan in a telephone interview that although the names have not been “officially revealed” in the Taipei District Court, investigators had confirmed the names were from information provided by Wu Shih-tsai, in a court affidavit.
Wu Shih-tsai is a Singaporean and an accomplice of Ching Chi-ju, who wanted for the fraud is still in hiding in the United States.
The pair were the go-betweens for the Taiwanese government to devise a deal to pay PNG for PNG to recognize Taiwan as an independent state.
Taiwan has been pushing to have countries recognize it as an independent state. PNG recognizes Taiwan as part of China and maintains the “one China policy.”
The prosecutors said they were now looking at laws in PNG and Taiwan to determine whether the Papua New Guineans involved could be called up to stand trial in Taiwan for their part in the scandal that has cost prized Taiwanese government scalps.
Wu Shih-tsai, 55, made his final defense in the Taipei court against charges of forging a document last year to mislead officials into believing that $29.8 million in government funds meant to help Taiwan set up diplomatic ties with Papua New Guinea were still in an account in Singapore.
