CEO Li Yizhan has been officially summoned amid accusations of installing tiny hidden cameras to secretly record sensitive patient treatments.
Hidden cameras found on clinic ceilings
The scandal erupted when multiple female clients reported suspicious devices in the diagnosis and treatment rooms of Shengyi Clinic near Taipei Station. Several patients who had undergone intimate hair removal treatments over the years noticed strange equipment installed in the corners of the ceilings.
Surveillance footage revealed a horrifying truth: nearly every treatment bed, where private procedures took place, was fully covered by the lenses of these tiny cameras. These devices were suspected to be cleverly disguised pinhole cameras, secretly recording the entire diagnosis and treatment process without patients’ knowledge.
After receiving complaints, Taipei police coordinated with investigators to conduct an emergency raid on the clinic. Authorities confirmed that each room was equipped with monitoring screens and found evidence of hurried attempts to remove devices from the ceilings to destroy proof.
Intense interrogation
On May 12, the Taipei District Prosecutor’s Office ordered a second search of the Zhongxiao branch, seizing numerous computers and data servers. CEO Li Yizhan and store manager Huang were summoned for questioning.
After a lengthy interrogation that lasted until May 13, prosecutors found enough evidence suggesting involvement in privacy violations and sexual ethics crimes.
Li Yizhan was released on bail set at 3 million yuan (nearly 12 billion VND), reflecting the case’s severity. Manager Huang posted bail of 500,000 yuan. Li appeared tired and avoided reporters’ cameras when leaving the prosecutor’s office. Despite attempts to keep things quiet, the scandal quickly exploded across media platforms.
Client panic and the dark side of the beauty industry
The Shengyi scandal is more than a criminal case, it exposes serious ethical gaps in the cosmetic medical field. Customers who pay large sums for beauty treatments have had their privacy brutally violated, sparking unprecedented outrage.
Several celebrities have spoken out. Artist Xiaozhen admitted that any woman undergoing cosmetic procedures fears secret filming more than anything else. This fear is well-founded as pinhole cameras become increasingly sophisticated and hard to detect.
Previously, another beauty brand, Airli, faced similar suspicions of installing hidden devices across Taiwan branches, creating a string of incidents that erode consumer trust. Questions remain: How many sensitive videos were recorded? How were they used? And how many victims still don’t know they were secretly filmed?
Computers seized from the Zhongxiao branch are now being analyzed by police tech experts to recover deleted files. If sensitive videos are found, Li Yizhan and the management team could face heavy prison sentences for distributing obscene materials and violating personal privacy.
The Shengyi case remains under investigation. This scandal serves as a stark warning for consumers to stay vigilant about strange devices in sensitive service locations. It also sounds an alarm for health regulators to enforce stricter inspections to protect customer rights and dignity.
