High Prosecutors Office Convenes Meeting on Carcinogenic Oil Contaminants, Integrating Administrative and Judicial Efforts

(CNA, Taipei, July 7) Regarding the incident of excessive levels of the carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene in cooking oil, the High Prosecutors Office today convened an "Inter-agency Coordination Meeting on Carcinogenic Oil Contaminants," launching the "Platform for Investigating Crimes Affecting Livelihoods" to integrate administrative investigations and judicial prosecution capabilities for joint deliberation on subsequent actions.

The Taiwan High Prosecutors Office issued a press release stating that in response to recent findings of the carcinogenic pollutant benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) exceeding legal limits in some commercially available soybean salad oils, which has drawn significant public attention, the High Prosecutors Office today invited relevant units including food safety, police, investigation, and prosecution to a coordination meeting to jointly deliberate on subsequent investigation and prosecution measures.

Zhang Duhui, Chief Prosecutor of the High Prosecutors Office, stated that food safety is crucial for national health, consumer rights, and public interest. Administrative agencies will continue to conduct product inspections, trace product flows, and implement recalls and preventive withdrawals. The prosecution agencies will actively collect relevant evidence in accordance with the law to clarify facts and responsibilities as quickly and prudently as possible, without pre-established positions or overlooking any potential criminal liability.

According to the press release, numerous consensus points were reached at the meeting, including the establishment of a central inter-agency liaison window for real-time sharing of product flow, administrative investigation, and prosecutorial information, with ad-hoc meetings convened as necessary to enhance overall investigation efficiency. Each local prosecutors office will simultaneously launch the "Platform for Investigating Crimes Affecting Livelihoods," establishing a group communication mechanism for immediate handling.

If local prosecutors offices receive notifications from competent authorities or discover suspected criminal irregularities, they should immediately collaborate with judicial police and health authorities to actively collect evidence and clarify any relevant legal responsibilities in accordance with the law. If businesses refuse to cooperate with administrative measures such as recalls and inspections, administrative agencies should immediately contact prosecutors and investigative agencies for handling.

The Taichung District Prosecutors Office will continue to investigate the criminal liability aspects of this case, with relevant administrative agencies assisting by providing necessary information on product flow, inspections, and recalls. If any local prosecutors office has significant case developments or intelligence, or if a case involves cross-jurisdictional supply chains, common upstream manufacturers, etc., they should immediately report to the High Prosecutors Office for unified coordination of joint handling by all agencies.

The Food and Drug Administration will provide relevant regulations and legal interpretations for reference by all agencies to avoid discrepancies in legal application. If local prosecutors offices have any doubts regarding legal application or investigation, the High Prosecutors Office will convene relevant agencies to jointly deliberate and unify legal interpretations and investigative directions. The liaison platform will operate on a rolling review basis, with inter-agency coordination meetings convened at any time based on case developments and investigative needs to refine administrative investigation and judicial prosecution efforts.

The High Prosecutors Office has established an internal liaison platform for prosecution agencies, with local prosecutors offices reporting daily on case progress and significant developments to facilitate tracking of nationwide investigation progress and timely coordination of investigative resources. Additionally, the Agency Against Corruption will assist in contacting health authorities in various cities and counties to monitor local inspections, recalls, preventive withdrawals, and handling situations, reporting daily. (Editor: Chen Qingfang) 1150707

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