Ex-National Security Colonel Liu Champion, Fugitive for 26 Years, Escapes Prosecution for Embezzlement

Former National Security Bureau Colonel Liu Champion, who absconded 26 years ago after embezzling 190 million New Taiwan dollars and leaking classified information, will not face prosecution for the embezzlement charges. The Shilin District Prosecutors Office announced on June 4, 2026, that the statute of limitations for the crime of embezzling public property had expired. This calculation includes the time Liu was a fugitive.

Liu Champion, formerly the head of the cashier division at the National Security Bureau, misappropriated public funds between 1994 and 2000. He used his position to embezzle approximately 190 million NT dollars by, among other methods, depositing funds into fixed-term accounts. Fearing exposure due to a potential change in political power, he fled to China in May 2000, taking with him classified documents related to projects like "Fengtian." Authorities froze his bank accounts, stock holdings, and a property in Taipei's Wenshan District.

Despite the expiration of the statute of limitations for embezzlement, Liu Champion remains a fugitive on charges of defecting to the enemy. The High Prosecutors Office added this charge in 2021, leading to an indictment and a fugitive warrant. The High Court ruled in September 2025 that the case had exceeded the 25-year statute of limitations, resulting in an acquittal. The prosecution has appealed this decision to the Supreme Court.

Through a mechanism for the "investigative seizure and separate confiscation" of assets, prosecutors successfully recovered 195,555,977 NT dollars. This amount, obtained from liquidating Liu's luxury homes, stocks, and bank deposits, effectively stripped him of his illicit gains. The liquidation included shares in companies like UMC, TSMC, and Nanya Technology, along with his property in Muzha, Taipei.