The 2026 Taiwan Local Government Officials Election will take place on November 28th. The Investigation Bureau held a press conference today, September 8th, to announce the launch of a special operation to combat illegal money flows, safeguard Taiwan’s democratic elections, and prevent foreign illegal funding intervention and election interference.
The Investigation Bureau stated that in order to maintain national security, prevent foreign illegal funds from intervening in this year’s election, and stabilize economic order, they have initiated the special operation to combat illegal money flows in the 2026 election for public officials. They are coordinating with Taiwan’s High Prosecutors’ Office to conduct simultaneous investigations.
The main objectives of this operation include cracking down on underground money transfer operators throughout Taiwan, fraud and gambling dens, fake bank laundering groups, acquisition of Shopee accounts for money laundering, and thoroughly investigating the recipients of underground money transfers and the ultimate beneficiaries of illegal funds. The aim is to prevent foreign forces from channeling funds into Taiwan through underground financial channels to undermine election fairness and national security. The Investigation Bureau has fully implemented this operation to prevent foreign funding from intervening in the election.
During the simultaneous investigations of this operation, a total of 24 field offices were mobilized across Taiwan, with a total of 54 cases investigated, searches conducted in 202 locations, 559 individuals questioned, 25 individuals detained by court order, and 70 individuals released on bail. The operation has seized illegal crime funds totaling NT$62.87 billion, including underground money transfers amounting to NT$11.86 billion, money laundering from gambling operations totaling NT$42.36 billion, illicit account collection laundering totaling NT$4.24 billion, and tax evasion laundering amounting to NT$5.06 billion.
Additionally, assets seized include approximately NT$1.76 billion in illicit gains, consisting of cash amounting to NT$115.31 million, confiscation of 521 illegal bank accounts, freezing of NT$590.89 million in bank funds, 2,184 USDT tokens, 12 luxury cars such as Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and BMW (with a market value of around NT$23 million), 95 high-end fashion bags from brands like Hermes and Chanel (with a market value of approximately NT$9.1 million), 10 luxury watches (with a market value of about NT$10 million), and the confiscation of 35 real estate properties (with a market value of approximately NT$1.01487 billion).
The focus of this investigation includes: mainland Chinese funds entering Taiwan through underground channels, mainland companies using dummy accounts to launder money, Hong Kong residents setting up gambling dens in Taiwan using Hong Kong phone numbers to launder gambling funds, and illegal groups setting up fake bank branches without actual transactions to launder funds from overseas in Taiwan.
The Investigation Bureau will continue to supervise its field offices to actively crack down on underground money transfers and various money laundering cases before the election. They will investigate abnormal financial transactions of high-risk businesses receiving foreign funds to prevent illegal foreign funds from entering Taiwan and interfering in the election. The Bureau reminds candidates and the public not to use underground money transfers or various money laundering channels to receive or assist in transferring Chinese or foreign funds domestically for election activities, in order to uphold clean election practices, maintain financial order, block foreign influences, and protect Taiwan’s security.