Carriers implicated in Kaohsiung fraud volume case

Carriers implicated in Kaohsiung fraud volume case    Taiwanese prosecutors have implicated employees from five ocean carriers in a 2007 fraud case stemming from falsified volume reports at the Port of Kaohsiung.
   According to media reports in Taiwan, officials at the country's top three carriers — Evergreen, Yang Ming and Wan Hai — as well as NYK Line and APL, are being examined by prosecutors in the case, which initially involved port officials at Kaohsiung.
   The case revolves around government incentives paid to shipping lines that allowed Kaohsiung to meet throughput targets for 2007 — throughput that government investigators allege was falsified.
   The shipping lines have denied the allegations in various media outlets, including a statement from APL parent NOL to the Singapore Stock Exchange.
   'The board wishes to clarify that whilst three employees and one ex-employee of APL Taiwan are among the persons indicted or to be indicted on the aforesaid corruption and fraud charges, none of the NOL group companies (including APL) have been indicted on such charges,” NOL said in the statement. “The company has a firm policy and takes a serious view against, and does not condone, corruption and fraud.”