Taiwan's well-known gaming group "Kyushu Group" has been involved in gambling and money laundering cases. After nearly 10 months of detention, the group's president Chen Zhenggu was granted bail by the Taichung District Court with a record high bail amount of 200 million yuan in recent years.
The Chief Judge and spokesperson of the Administrative Court of the Taichung District Court, Huang Yuqi, stated that after Chen Zhenggu paid a bail of 200 million New Taiwan dollars, he was allowed to stop detention. From the date of bail, he is restricted to residence and is not allowed to leave the country or go to sea for a period of eight months.
Since being detained on May 24, 2023, the prosecution has accused Chen Zhenggu of involvement in gambling and money laundering crimes, but he has consistently denied all charges. After the third detention hearing, the court believed that although other defendants had been prosecuted, they did not play a core role in commanding or controlling the criminal organization, thus the possibility of Chen Zhenggu colluding with them is lower, and decided to allow bail.
Huang Yuqi further explained: "In this case, the direction of the defendants' defense has been roughly clarified, consistent with the statements during the investigation stage, and some witnesses have completed their testimony, reducing the risk of collusion. Moreover, if the defendant can pay a bail of 200 million yuan, it will impose a certain psychological constraint on him."
The collegial panel of the court believes that although there are still reasons for Chen Zhenggu's detention, after comprehensively considering the circumstances of the alleged crimes, illegal gains, social status, health condition, and the property already seized, it is determined that there is no need for continued detention, thus ruling a 200 million yuan bail.
However, during the bail period, Chen Zhenggu must comply with strict restrictions, including no contact with defendants and witnesses related to the case, and he must report to the designated police station every Wednesday and Saturday morning. Additionally, if he cannot raise the bail amount by March 21, his detention will be extended by two months starting March 23.
