Taiwan trader suspected of sanctions breach

Taiwan trader suspected of sanctions breach
29 Jan 2018 https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180130_03/

Prosecutors in Taiwan say a local businessman has exported coal from North Korea in violation of UN sanctions against the country.

They suspect the trader leased a cargo ship through Chinese intermediaries, had it loaded with anthracite coal at a port in western North Korea, and sold the cargo off a Vietnamese port, between August and September of last year.

Taiwanese media say the man transferred about 40,000 tons of coal -- worth about 3 million dollars.

The prosecutors say he turned off a global positioning system on the vessel and tampered with its navigation log to keep authorities in the dark about its movements.

They also suspect that the trader used a fake certificate of origin to cover up the illicit export.

Earlier this month, another man from the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung saw his assets frozen for his alleged involvement in transferring refined oil products to a North Korean vessel in international waters.