A special assistant to Nantou County Commissioner Peng Pai-hsien (
After questioning that went on into the early hours yesterday, prosecutors requested that the court detain Peng's special assistant Wu Cheng-hsun (吳政勳), director of the county government's policy planning unit Tsai Pi-yun (蔡碧雲) and county government advisor Pai His-min (白錫旼).
The Nantou District Court approved Wu's detention but released Tsai. Pai was also released, on NT$1 million bail.
Prosecutors said there was evidence indicating the three received kickbacks and favored certain firms in handling post-quake reconstruction projects.
Meanwhile, two other county government officials in charge of affairs relating to construction bidding underwent polygraph tests yesterday. Prosecutors did not give further details.
The investigation has centered on construction bidding and the use of quake relief funds.
Prosecutors also explained to the media yesterday the mysterious "Russian logs case."
After the quake Russia donated some 3,000 tonnes of logs to Taiwan for reconstruction. The Executive Yuan then gave 2,700 tonnes of these logs to Nantou County.
But most of these logs went missing, divisional head prosecutor at Nantou District Prosecutors' Office Hsu Sung-kuei (
He said county officials had different versions where the logs went, but so far only 30 percent of the logs have been found -- in a search the day before yesterday in Changhua (彰化). The expense of processing these logs also mystified prosecutors.
Hsu said signed county government documents show the price for processing the logs was around NT$7 million. "But the money actually paid out was more than NT$22 million," he said, adding the whereabouts of the money was being investigated.
He said even the logs found in Changhua needed further examination before it could be proved that they were the mystery Russian logs.
At an interpellation session at the county council yesterday morning, the claims of corruption were discussed by councilors.
Many councilors attacked Peng's administration, but Peng insisted he and his staff were innocent and claimed "there is political intervention in the investigation."
The independent commissioner was once a close associate of President Chen Shui-bian (
But Peng withdrew from the DPP in 1997 when he decided to run for the post of commissioner even though he wasn't nominated by the party. He won the election.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
UNPRECEDENTED: In addition to the approved recall motions, cases such as Ma Wen-chun’s in Nantou are still under review, while others lack enough signatures The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced yesterday that a recall vote would take place on July 26, after it approved the first batch of recall motions targeting 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安). Taiwan is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of mass recall campaigns, following a civil society push that echoed a call made by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in January to initiate signature drives aimed at unseating KMT legislators. Under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), Taiwanese can initiate a recall of district-elected lawmakers by collecting
RSS