Two ex-scientists face charges for allegedly swindling Academia Sinica out of approximately NT$34.8 million.
In a shocking turn of events, two individuals - researcher Wei-Chi Kuang and his wife - have been accused of defrauding Academia Sinica, Taiwan's most prestigious research institution, of more than NT$34.8 million from 2019 to 2021.
The fraudulent activities involved the use of false documents and purchases. According to reports, Kuang, who is not a researcher at Academia Sinica's Institute of Physics but a former contract staff, bought equipment for his own tech company using fake documents and pretended the purchases were made by his Academia Sinica lab from 2019 to 2020.
A fellow researcher and company shareholder, surnamed Chi, who oversaw lab purchases, allegedly sent the items back to Kuang's firm after delivery and inspection. This act led to the institute never keeping the items it paid for, as reported in 2019 when Kuang's company won six Academia Sinica procurement bids worth more than NT$15.89 million.
Chi is also implicated in defrauding the institute, having allegedly instructed Chi to submit reimbursement claims, resulting in the loss of more than NT$18.83 million for Academia Sinica.
Prosecutors have urged heavy sentences for both Chang and Chi, citing the scale of the financial fraud. Furthermore, 12 others were charged with falsifying quotations and receipts in the case.
The Institute of Physics at Academia Sinica has expressed its regret over the involvement of Chang and Chi in the case. The institute has also pledged to carry out necessary measures to prevent similar events from happening again.
Additional reporting by Yang Yuan-ting and Fion Khan.
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