Taiwan’s Investigation Bureau has won the annual “Egmont Best Case Award (BECA)” for its investigation into the “Prince Group Money Laundering Case,” which it successfully assisted the Taipei District Prosecutors Office in investigating.
Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units is the world’s largest network of Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) and comprises over 180 member FIUs that exchange financial intelligence to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation financing and other serious transnational financial crimes.
Taiwan joined the organization in 1998 under the name “AMLD, Taiwan.” To encourage members to enhance the effectiveness of intelligence operations and cooperation with law enforcement agencies, the Egmont Group established the Best Case Award in 2011.
The BECA award identifies operational excellence and is considered the highest honors within the global Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) community.
The “Prince Group Money Laundering Case” won the “Global Best Case Award” by an overwhelming number of votes–76 out of 106, the Taipei Times reported.
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Cooperation among government agencies and international partners dismantled the Prince Group
According to the Central News Agency (CNA), Taiwan’s Investigation Bureau stated that the “Prince Group case” involved enormous amounts of illegal proceeds and large-scale criminal activities linked to scam compounds.
Under the command and coordination of the Taipei District Prosecutors Office, authorities made effective use of financial intelligence developed by the Investigation Bureau’s Anti-Money Laundering Division, along with information provided by various government agencies and international partners.
The investigation successfully seized US$175 million in illegal assets, including 11 luxury properties, 35 luxury vehicles, and 337 related bank accounts.
The Investigation Bureau noted that the “Prince Group case” strongly demonstrated Taiwan’s determination and law enforcement capabilities in combating cross-border fraud crimes.
The Anti-Money Laundering Division submitted the case as Taiwan’s entry for this year’s Best Case Award competition. It received the highest number of votes during the preliminary selection and advanced to the final round, where it competed against a case submitted by India’s Financial Intelligence Unit involving online fraud and virtual currency crimes.
Taiwan’s case achieves a landslide victory
According to Mirror Media, with the full support of Investigation Bureau Director Chen and Taipei District Prosecutors Office Chief Prosecutor Wang, the Anti-Money Laundering Division worked under tight timelines to produce a high-quality competition video and case presentation showcasing the investigation’s achievements.
Because the “Prince Group case” demonstrated Taiwan’s anti-money laundering system, inter-agency cooperation, and international collaboration in combating transnational organized crime, representatives attending the event agreed that the case could serve as a model example.
The Investigation Bureau stated that Taiwan’s winning of the 2026 Egmont Alliance Best Anti-Money Laundering Case Award not only recognizes the effectiveness of the bureau’s anti-money laundering efforts but also represents a significant honor for Taiwan’s overall anti-money laundering system and law enforcement teams.
Through the “Prince Group case,” Taiwan has demonstrated its strong commitment to combating crime and preventing money laundering amid the growing challenges posed by cross-border criminal networks, emerging financial technologies, and evolving forms of digital crime.
The Investigation Bureau emphasized that its Anti-Money Laundering Division will continue to carry out its responsibilities as Taiwan’s national financial intelligence unit by strengthening public-private cooperation within the anti-money laundering framework, expanding collaboration with foreign financial intelligence units, and dedicating itself to combating transnational crime.
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Prince Group laundered money through Taiwanese shell companies
The “Prince Group case” involves a transnational telecommunications fraud and money laundering organization allegedly led by Chen Zhi, the head of Cambodia-based Prince Group.
The group allegedly established forced-labor compounds in Southeast Asia, conducting investment scams such as “pig-butchering” schemes, cryptocurrency fraud, and online gambling-related scams. It allegedly laundered more than NT$10.7 billion through Taiwanese shell companies and underground currency exchange networks.
Between 2016 and 2025, Prince Group established more than 10 companies in Taiwan as fronts and created cryptocurrency wallets, including “OJBK,” to facilitate large-scale fund transfers.
The Taipei District Prosecutors Office in Taiwan directed the Investigation Bureau’s operation, successfully confiscating approximately NT$5.5 billion (about US$175 million) in illegal assets held by the group in Taiwan. The seized assets included 11 luxury residences, 35 luxury vehicles, and numerous associated bank accounts.
The alleged mastermind Chen Zhi, along with accomplices and related entities, including 62 individuals and 13 companies, were indicted for violations of Taiwan’s Organized Crime Prevention Act and Money Laundering Control Act.
Chen Zhi was arrested in Cambodia in January 2026 and was subsequently extradited to China for trial. Before his extradition to China, Chen had been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice and placed on an international wanted list.
Some analysts believe that because China and the United States do not have an extradition treaty, the possibility of the United States successfully requesting his extradition for trial is extremely limited.
