Prosecutors Look to Crack Egg Scandal

A scandal over imported eggs has seen arrests as prosecutors allege fraud and corruption.

Transcript

00:00This woman, Qin Yuqiao, is out on a US$63,000 bail, and though she doesn't see the need

00:07to do any explaining, the Taipei District Court disagrees.

00:10It wants to find out how Qin's company, Ultrasource, got a government contract to import millions

00:15of eggs during a severe shortage last year, even though the company had barely US$16,000

00:20in capital, wasn't yet registered, and had Qin herself as its sole employee.

00:27And Qin is only one of the suspects in what prosecutors believe may have been a complex

00:31fraud and corruption scheme.

00:33A second company, Brilliance Biotechnology, also got a contract despite a lack of qualifications.

00:39The two companies sold their eggs at an unusually high price, sparking suspicions.

00:44After the resignation of the then-agriculture minister, the egg affair went quiet for around

00:49a year.

00:50But late Tuesday, police made 14 raids and rounded up eight suspects.

00:55There's also one more person of interest who police haven't gotten a chance to question

00:58because she's abroad.

01:00That is Qin Yuqiao's daughter, who helped coordinate some of the egg deals.

01:05So far, prosecutors haven't revealed many details about exactly what they think these

01:09suspects did, or how they may be linked.

01:12But they say the investigation is focused on illicit profiteering and aggravated fraud.

01:17And for former agricultural officials, including the then-minister himself, the scandal may

01:21soon come home to roost, as opposition lawmakers ask whether they were involved.

01:33The ruling Democratic Progressive Party, meanwhile, says the opposition, faced with its own scandals,

01:38shouldn't use the case to score political points.

01:50In a year filled with corruption scandals, old cases are piling on top of the new, leaving

01:54some lawmakers asking, how high up do they go?