![fb_image-3-768x576.png](https://chinapost-media.nownews.com/2022/01/bc8b3c12-fb_image-3-768x576-1-696x522.png)
TAIPEI (The China Post) — A fake labor broker agency in Taichung, Taiwan was recently revealed to have used a dummy, shell company to recruit a large number of migrant workers, inciting fury from officials and locals alike.
According to local Chinese-language media, the prosecution discovered in January 2021 that the company had sent migrant workers to construction sites lacking in manpower while collecting illegal job-buying fees and broker fees.
In addition, they only gave migrant workers minimum wage while exploiting them for profit; in total, around 100 migrant workers were victims of the shell company.
The company was found to have established more than 20 shell companies and false factories while finding bookkeepers to cooperate in making false accounts and circulating invoices to create the illusion of being in operation.
They also recruited local construction foremen to falsely apply for labor insurance through various means, successfully deceiving relevant authorities including the Ministry of Labor (MOL, 勞動部) and the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA, 經濟部) to approve of their companies.
They were then able to request the entry of migrant workers into the country to seek jobs at their false corporation, reports claimed. After the migrant workers arrived in Taiwan, the shell company then transferred workers to employers in the construction industry and asked for an average salary of more than NT$40,000 from employers, but only give migrant workers a minimum wage of about NT$23,800.
They also required migrant workers to bear labor and health insurance premiums and other expenses by themselves; as a result, migrant workers received less than NT$20,000 per month and must work overtime in exchange for overtime pay.
According to the prosecution’s indictment, the company illegally introduced migrant workers and exploited labor and their related crimes lasted for more than 2 years with the illegal income reaching around NT$25 million.
Control Yuan commissioners Wang Mei-yu (王美玉) and Wang You-ling (王幼玲) pointed out that because the review process by various units was merely a formality, they relied on written reviews and subsequently ignored on-site visits.
They pointed out that this pointed to a serious systematic problem, and voiced their opinions that if the situation had not been reported by civilians, none of the relevant units would have been aware.
On Nov. 17, 2021, the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee of the Control Yuan examined and approved the investigation report submitted by Wang Mei-yu and Wang You-ling, and asked for a review of the situation from the MOL.
This incident has incited concerns from many, and the National Taxation Bureau in Taichung said that the operator has violated many laws, and not only does the operator bear criminal responsibility, but also the bookkeeper who assisted in making false accounts will be investigated.
In this case, the operators have committed the crime of falsifying documents, and are in clear violation of the Employment Service Act (就業服務法) and the Human Trafficking Prevention Act (人口販運防制法).
In opening shell companies, issuing false vouchers and their tax evasions, they have also violated commercial laws including the Tax Collection Act (稅捐稽徵法) and the Business Entity Accounting Act (商業會計法).