Press Conference | Witnessing the Struggles of the People and the Judicial System in a Nation of Scams: Post-Press Release for the Opening of "Challengers in a Nation of Scams ♠"

At 2:00 PM on March 10, 2023, the Taichung Office of the Judicial Reform Foundation held the opening press conference for the special exhibition "Challengers in a Nation of Scams ♠: The Past, Present, and Future of Straw-Man Fraud" (Address: No. 845, Sec. 2, Taiwan Blvd., Xitun Dist., Taichung City).

Since 2013, the Judicial Reform Foundation has long been concerned with the issue of straw-man fraud and the resulting wrongful convictions and systemic judicial human rights issues. The special exhibition, "Challengers in a Nation of Scams ♠: The Past, Present, and Future of Straw-Man Fraud," is co-organized by the Changhua Bar Association and the Nantou Bar Association, running from March 10, 2023, to September 2, 2023.

This special exhibition aims to present the judicial dilemmas faced by victims of straw-man account fraud through the exhibition and a series of related events. While pursuing intra-systemic and extra-systemic reforms, it also seeks to integrate local legal education in central Taiwan, guiding more citizens and students to care and deliberate together.

At the opening press conference, Attorney Lin Chih-chung, a member of the Board of Directors of the Judicial Reform Foundation, remarked in his opening speech, "The Judicial Reform Foundation has long been concerned with issues arising from straw-man fraud. Currently, many judges in criminal justice trials still view matters from an elite perspective, assuming that ordinary people should know that providing an account is problematic, while overlooking the actual circumstances of many vulnerable individuals at the bottom of society."

Attorney Ch'en Yü-hsüan, Chairperson of the Changhua Bar Association, and Attorney Ch'en Ying-shou, Vice Chairperson of the Nantou Bar Association—co-organizers of this exhibition—also noted, "Many judicial practices, as reported in newspapers and magazines, suggest that ordinary people should have the awareness to properly safeguard their account information. However, this overlooks the fact that parties involved in straw-man fraud cases are often in urgent situations and are not the so-called 'ordinary people.' Although legal practitioners are very clear on this concept, legal professionals sometimes习惯 [habitually] use the law to explain the law. We hope this exhibition can use a simple and comprehensible way to help the public better understand the abyss behind scams."

The challengers struggling forward in the nation of scams are not only the victims who were defrauded of their money or the parties involved in straw-man fraud, but also the administrative agencies, prosecutors, and investigative judiciary actively cracking down on scams. Chang Pen-sung, Deputy Director-General of the Legal Affairs Bureau of the Taichung City Government, mentioned in his speech: "Times are changing rapidly, and the methods and advertisements of scams change every day. How judges distinguish and determine whether a party whose account was defrauded is becoming increasingly difficult, and we hope this exhibition will allow everyone to better understand straw-man fraud."

The Judicial Reform Foundation has been concerned with the issue of straw-man fraud for nearly a decade. Attorney Kao Yang-hui, Standing Executive Committee Member of the Judicial Reform Foundation, and Associate Professor Hsu Wei-ch'ün of the Department of Financial and Economic Law at Chung Yuan Christian University, noted: "The Judicial Reform Foundation has made numerous attempts and efforts over the past decade, but the systemic judicial human rights issues arising from straw-man fraud are actually growing increasingly severe. The amendment draft to the Money Laundering Control Act proposed by the Ministry of Justice has added a so-called crime of simply handing over accounts, yet it fails to resolve the predicament of failing to catch the real heads of scam syndicates while turning these account providers into scapegoats to compensate those defrauded of their money.

"Challengers in a Nation of Scams ♠: The Past, Present, and Future of Straw-Man Fraud" is the fifth exhibition held by the Taichung Office of the Judicial Reform Foundation since 2021. In the future, the Judicial Reform Foundation will continue to cooperate with professionals from various fields, hoping to build a judicial oasis where students and citizens in central Taiwan can approach justice and human rights issues through arts and cultural performances combined with a series of themed lectures. People from all walks of life are welcome to book a visit.

♣ Exhibition Preview

https://youtu.be/vUbsr32vWXg

♣ Time

2:00 PM, March 10, 2023

♣ Venue

2nd Floor, Taichung Office, Judicial Reform Foundation (No. 845, Sec. 2, Taiwan Blvd., Xitun Dist., Taichung City)

♣ List of Speakers

Lin Chih-chung Attorney, Board Member, Judicial Reform Foundation
Chang Pen-sung Deputy Director-General, Legal Affairs Bureau, Taichung City Government
Ch'en Yü-hsüan Attorney, Chairperson, Changhua Bar Association
Ch'en Ying-shou Attorney, Vice Chairperson, Nantou Bar Association
Hsu Wei-ch'ün Associate Professor, Department of Financial and Economic Law, Chung Yuan Christian University; Standing Executive Committee Member, Judicial Reform Foundation
Kao Yang-hui Attorney, Standing Executive Committee Member, Judicial Reform Foundation

♣ Contact

Chang Hua-che, Legal Specialist, Taichung Office, Judicial Reform Foundation (04)2329-2372 #13