In an unprecedented move, the main suspect in a money laundering case has been granted permission by the court to call 720 witnesses. A criminal lawyer from Fidelity Law Firm explains the Money Laundering Prevention Act and the relevant regulations for calling witnesses.

Case Background and Legal Disputes

Unprecedented! The main suspect in a money laundering case has been granted permission by the court to summon 720 witnesses | FTV News reporter Huang Guocheng

Taiwan's largest cryptocurrency exchange, "CoinThink Technology," is involved in money laundering of NT$2.3 billion. A total of 14 people, including the main suspect Shih Chi-jen, have been indicted. The main suspect's defense lawyer questioned the inadmissibility of the police interrogation records of the victims as evidence and unprecedentedly requested 1,544 victims to testify in court. The court filtered out half of them and finally granted a rare hearing for 720 witnesses. The trial is scheduled to last nine days from January to April next year, with eighty people expected to testify each time.

A criminal lawyer from Fidelity Law Firm stated that this case involves the Money Laundering Prevention Act. In criminal trials, although defense lawyers or prosecutors can call a majority of witnesses to testify in court, the court also has discretion to consider whether each summoned witness is necessary. In this case, because the evidentiary value of the victims' testimonies during the investigation was disputed by the defense, the prosecution originally summoned thousands of victims to testify. However, the court may have considered the travel expenses and time costs associated with summoning witnesses based on their place of residence, and therefore initially arranged to summon 720 of them to testify.

Opinion of Fidelity Law Firm

Lawyers at Fidelity Law Firm advise that in similar cases, one should not only look at the news headlines, but also return to the evidence, legal requirements, procedural stages, and the client's actual objectives. If the case has entered the court, district prosecutor's office, investigation bureau, or negotiation process, the earlier the information is gathered, the more room for maneuver it will retain.

What should be confirmed first when encountering similar cases?

• First, organize the event timeline, notices, contracts, chat logs, photos, videos, and payment information.
• Confirm the current stage of the process: it may be just a consultation, you may have been interviewed, you may have received a summons, you may have entered into court proceedings, or you may need to file a lawsuit to seek compensation.
• Assess whether there are immediate risks such as statute of limitations, evidence preservation, detention, imprisonment, settlement negotiations, or media exposure.