HONG KONG – Prosecutors in Taiwan say they’re investigating a man suspected of involvement in illegal oil sales to North Korea.
Continue Reading Below
In a statement late Wednesday, prosecutors said they questioned a man surnamed Chen before releasing him on bail.
It said the investigation began after reports last week that South Korean authorities seized a Hong Kong-flagged ship for violating U.N. sanctions by selling oil to North Korea and that a Taiwan company was involved.
The prosecutor’s office in southern Kaohsiung said that during questioning they discovered the man, who owns a fishery company, knew the oil shipment would be sold in international waters but falsely declared its destination as Hong Kong.
South Korean officials believe the ship, the Lighthouse Winmore, transferred about 600 tons of refined petroleum products to a North Korean vessel.
