Tracing Over 7 Batches of Contaminated Salad Oil! Taichung Prosecutors Re-raid Union Company, Seek Detention of Chen, the Plant Manager

The Taichung District Prosecutors Office has made a significant breakthrough in its investigation into the 'cancer oil' scandal after detaining Union Company's general manager, Yu Ling-chung. On the 22nd, prosecutors conducted a follow-up raid, summoning Union's plant manager Chen (surnamed), deputy head of the Quality Research Division Chen (surnamed), and assistant manager of the Essential Oil Division Jiang (surnamed), along with nine witnesses. After overnight interrogation, prosecutors requested the court to detain the plant manager Chen on suspicion of tampering with or destroying evidence. The other two individuals, Chen and Jiang, were released on bail of NT$1 million each, while the witnesses were released after questioning.

On July 22, law enforcement conducted a second round of searches, prompted by new leads following the detention of Yu Ling-chung. The focus returned to three key Union personnel: plant manager Chen ○-rong, deputy division head Chen ○-long, and assistant manager Jiang ○-long. Chen ○-rong and Chen ○-long were among the first individuals summoned and released on bail when the case initially broke, but prosecutors found their statements inconsistent and suspected concealment. Thus, they were re-interviewed on the 22nd. Prosecutors also summoned nine employees involved in oil production and quality control processes to confront the three suspects, strengthening the evidentiary foundation. Ultimately, the plant manager was deemed evasive and downplaying his role, leading prosecutors to seek his pre-trial detention.

Prosecutors allege that the three individuals—Chen ○-rong, Jiang ○-long, and Chen ○-long—are all heavily implicated in violations of Article 49, Paragraphs 1, 2, and 4 of Taiwan's Food Safety and Sanitation Management Act.

On July 9, the first wave of searches targeted Union Company, Fushou Industrial Co., Ltd., Fumao Oils & Fats Co., Ltd., and泰山 Enterprise Co., Ltd. Eleven defendants, including Union’s chairman Tsai Ching-song and general manager Yu Ling-chung, and 13 witnesses were summoned. The July 22 investigation followed detailed analysis of seized materials, aiming to further clarify how Union responded after detecting abnormalities in raw materials, production processes, and final products, as well as to determine individual responsibilities.

During the July 22 operation, authorities seized mobile phones, cloud data, and other electronic devices from suspects. They also obtained production process logs, abnormal incident reports, raw material import records, product data, and detailed sales records of the seven batches of salad oil found to exceed benzopyrene limits. These materials are being cross-referenced to trace the source of contaminated raw materials, production and sales timelines, process monitoring records, and distribution channels, in a comprehensive effort to reconstruct the entire manufacturing, shipping, and reporting process of the tainted oil.