The High Court concluded the mountain mouse group's illegal logging of precious forests. The main suspect, Chen Jiguang, was sentenced to 6 years in prison and fined 4.5 million yuan in accordance with the Forest Law.

(Photo by reporter Yang Guowen)

[Reporter Yang Guowen/Taipei Report] The man Chen Jiguang formed the Mountain Mouse Group in 2015, involved in running wild in Wulai, Xindianshan, Taoyuan Daxi and other places in New Taipei City. A went to his peers to pre-cut the hidden stolen goods. In just 3 months, he got about 1 metric ton with a market value of nearly 10 million yuan. Chen Nan was found guilty of as many as 15 crimes in the first instance. He was sentenced to 15 years in accordance with the Forest Law and fined 5 million yuan. The High Court found that Chen had only committed 6 crimes, and the sentence was commuted to 6 years in prison and a fine of 4.5 million yuan. He could also appeal.

In terms of accomplices in the same case, Que Shenquan and other four persons were sentenced to 2 to 5 years in prison and fines ranging from 1.2 to 6.2 million yuan.

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Prosecutors pointed out that in 2015, the Hsinchu and Luodong Forest Management Offices of the Forestry Bureau of the Council of Agriculture, which had jurisdiction over the state-owned forests in Wulai and Xindian Mountains, discovered the movement of the Mountain Rat Group in their jurisdiction and reported it to the Taipei District Prosecutor's Office through the Criminal Bureau. Commanded the investigation and focused on the monitoring of the Chen Jiguang Group, which had been stolen by everyone in early July of the same year. It was found that five members of the Mountain Mouse Group, including Chen Jiguang, Que Shenquan, Li Huaizu, Guan Huiguo, and Wang Shilang, sneaked into New Taipei City from July to September 2015. Lai, Xindian Mountains, and Taoyuan Daxi Mountains used chainsaws and chainsaws to illegally cut down precious forests such as cypress, Xiao Nan and red cypress.

The prosecutors also found out that between August and September 2015, Chen Jiguang, Que Shenquan, Wang Shilang and others received, stored, illegally felled, and stolen precious forest trees such as juniper, Xiaonan, and cypress; He illegally felled precious forests and threatened two victims with an unknown pistol on August 8, 2015.

On September 22 of the same year, the police seized Chen Nan and other members of the group. It is estimated that in addition to the unaccounted for stolen goods, the Chen Nan group stole at least 914 kilograms of precious forest trees with a market value of nearly 10 million yuan. Chen Nan and others were once detained. Chen Nan and others were prosecuted according to the forest law and intimidation.

Chen Nan and many other people disclaimed responsibility and argued that they only contacted the defendants in the same case to collect debts, and did not direct or respond to the illegal logging. The Taipei District Court did not accept it. The crime of stealing valuable wood, the main forest product, was given a heavy sentence of 15 years and a fine of 5 million yuan. Four people from Que Shenquan, Wang Nan, and others were also sentenced to 5 to 9 years in prison and fined 1.3 million to 4.5 million yuan each.

After appealing to the High Court, Chen Jiguang, Li Huaizu, Guan Huiguo and others admitted part of the crime, while Que Shenquan and Wang Shilang denied the crime.

The High Court reprimanded Chen Nan and others for allegedly stealing, accepting, mediating, and storing precious forest trees in the state-owned forest class, undermining the sustainable development of nature and harming forest conservation work. Threatening crime, but considering that the illegal proceeds of Chen Nan and others have been seized by the police and returned to the informant, and considering that some of Chen Nan and others have insufficient criminal evidence, Chen Nan was sentenced to 6 years in prison today, Que Shenquan and other four were sentenced to 2 to 5 years imprisonment.