Taiwan's navy plans to take legal action in Switzerland and France to recover kickbacks paid for Lafayette frigate sales to Taiwan, according to the Chinese-language media.
Lei Kuang-shu (雷光墅), the navy's deputy chief of staff, said the navy plans to request arbitration by a Paris trade council next month at the latest, in accordance with a clause in the Lafayette contract that forbids commissions for parties involved in the deal.
Overseas action
Lei also said lawyers representing the Taiwan navy had filed a court order in Paris earlier this month seeking preservation of evidence at the French arms supplier Thomson-CSF, which is now called Thales.
The navy is also seeking a role in a criminal investigation into kickback funds in Switzerland, as well as continued freezing of bank deposits made there by Thomson's former agent Andrew Wang (汪傳浦), Lei said.
Lei said the navy was also collecting information regarding retired high-ranking executives from Thomson-CSF who may have leaked secrets about the Lafayette frigates to China. Thomson has denied recent media reports about the leak.
People First Party Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) yesterday called the navy's actions inadequate and asked for immediate lawsuits. Lee accused the navy of dragging its feet, saying more delays will prove deleterious to Taiwan's interests.
The government has come under fire recently for progressing too slowly in the Lafayette investigation, as well as in a related probe into the murder of navy captain Yin Ching-feng (
Joel Bucher, former manager of the French bank Societe Generale's Taipei branch, also expressed doubts earlier this month. He said Taiwan's investigators may be unable to act freely due to political involvement in the case. Bucher came to Taiwan earlier this month to assist Taiwan investigators.
Earlier this month, a Control Yuan task force investigating the Lafayette case urged the navy to file lawsuits to recover the US$26.75 million in kickbacks that had been confirmed.
Investigators believe that as much as US$400 million was paid in illegal commissions over the frigate sales.
Last month, Swiss prosecutors froze bank accounts containing SF250 million (US$142 million) they suspect stem from bribes paid by Elf Aquitaine. The formerly state-owned French oil giant is alleged to have paid out the bribes to sell the six warships to Taiwan.
French prosecutors are investigating allegations that Elf Aquitaine provided millions of dollars in bribes to help French firms win lucrative contracts to sell the frigates to Taiwan.
Reports said the case came to light when Credit Suisse became suspicious of a man from Taiwan who said he was depositing the large sum on behalf of his wealthy parents.
Scandal claims victims
The French corruption scandal has already claimed a number of high-profile victims.
Former French foreign minister Roland Dumas was convicted of corruption and sentenced to six months prison last month at the end of a trial that captivated France with its tales of sex, greed and ambition.
The judges also convicted four of Dumas' six co-defendants on charges ranging from embezzlement to receiving misappropriated funds from Elf between 1989 and 1993. His one-time lover, Christine Deviers-Joncour, got three years in prison, of which 18 months were suspended, and a large fine.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique