KMT legislator Yang Chi-hsiung (
At a press conference yesterday, Yang presented a pile of documents which, he claimed, disproved Soong's story that he had returned several months ago a sum of NT$106 million that had been deposited into his son Soong Chen-yuan's (宋鎮遠) Chung Hsing Bills Finance Corporation account.
"Last week Soong claimed that he had returned the money to the unidentified `elder' on June 10," Yang said. "But according to my own information, after June 17 there were still transactions listed in this account.''
Yang also said that even when the account was finally liquidated on Oct. 4, the resulting cash was paid into a deposit account in Soong Chen-yuan's name at a branch of the First Commercial Bank.
"Are there any other mystery accounts?" Yang asked.
Immediately after the press conference finished, Yang went to the Ministry of Finance to provide evidence that Soong Chen-yuan had evaded paying gift tax on the "elder's" donations. He then took the records of Soong Chen-yuan's Chung Hsing Bills Finance account to the Taipei District Prosecutor's Office.
The controversy surrounding the accounts hinges on how in 1991-93, Soong Chen-yuan, at the time only 24 years old, with no independent means of support, purchased NT$120 million worth of securities, receiving NT$106 million in one day in December 1992 when his father was still serving as KMT secretary-general.
James Soong's spokesman, Yen Rong-chang (顏榮昌), denied that the Soong camp had ever claimed the account was liquidated in June.
"Even in our official newsletter, we only said that since Soong Chen-yuan no longer needed the money, we returned it to the `elder' several months ago. There was no mention of a specific date," Yen said.
Yen said that the whole issue still required an explanation from Soong himself.
An aide to Soong said the candidate spent all day yesterday in discussion with his inner circle to hammer out a strategy.
Soong's aides said they were preparing to cancel today's scheduled signature drive in Penghu County to organize a press conference aimed at providing the facts of the case.
Independent legislator Robert Hsu (
The accusations against Soong have had a dramatic impact on the presidential race, but not to the obvious advantage of KMT presidential candidate Lien Chan (
A poll conducted by the TVBS TV channel, conducted on Sunday, showed that DPP presidential hopeful Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) had taken the lead from Soong.
But DPP legislator Chou Po-lun (
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday said that China using armed force against Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, allowing the country to mobilize the Japanese armed forces under its security laws. Takaichi made the remarks during a parliamentary session while responding to a question about whether a "Taiwan contingency" involving a Chinese naval blockade would qualify as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, according to a report by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun. "If warships are used and other armed actions are involved, I believe this could constitute a survival-threatening situation," Takaichi was quoted as saying in the report. Under Japan’s security legislation,
RSS