The snowballing scandal surrounding the Zanadau project continued to grip the nation yesterday as top judiciary officials angrily denied allegations that they pressed for the release of a key suspect last Thursday in exchange for money.
Investigators voiced concerns that the court's failure to detain former KMT business chief Liu Tai-ying (劉泰英) provided the financier the opportunity to manipulate evidence with other witnesses.
Liu, now chairman of China Development Financial Holding Corp, is suspected of using his position to line his own pockets. Zanadau Development Corp major shareholder Su Hui-chen (蘇惠珍) has accused Liu of bilking over NT$1 billion from her in return for a promise to secure bank loans 10 times as much.
Weng Yueh-sheng (翁岳生), president of the Judicial Yuan, said he would immediately step down if it was proved he had intervened on Liu's behalf. He vowed to sack any judges who are found of peddling their influence.
Chinese-language media have run stories attributing Liu's unconditional release on last Thursday to under-the-table tradeoffs.
Some news reports say a heavyweight judiciary official approached Liu later to demand NT$50 million to return the favor.
"Integrity and impartiality are the life support of the judiciary branch," Weng said.
"I will not tolerate any officials engaging in influence-peddling. Even failed attempts to do so will be punished."
He said through aides that he would resign right away if his alleged malfeasance proved to be true.
Yang Jen-shou (
Taipei District Court Judge Liang Yao-bin (
"That explains why they feed the press with new leaks related to the Zanadau probe each day," he said.
Liu Shou-sung (劉壽嵩), another judge involved in the Liu case, urged all who dislike the ruling to seek redress through legal procedures rather than make irresponsible statements to mislead the public.
Prosecutors may appeal to the Taiwan High Court to request Liu's detention after they receive the official ruling from the Taipei District Court.
They can also summon Liu for further questioning at any time and detain him for a maximum of 24 hours, without the court's authorization.
Unnamed sources said Liu's remaining free has cast a shadow over the investigation, especially as the testimony of the witnesses has been consistent.
Liu, who went back to work the day after his release, has been admitted to a local hospital for hypertension. Aides would not reveal where.
Also see stories:
NO-LIMITS PARTNERSHIP: ‘The bottom line’ is that if the US were to have a conflict with China or Russia it would likely open up a second front with the other, a US senator said Beijing and Moscow could cooperate in a conflict over Taiwan, the top US intelligence chief told the US Senate this week. “We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why they wouldn’t,” US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Thursday. US Senator Mike Rounds asked Haines about such a potential scenario. He also asked US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse
NOVEL METHODS: The PLA has adopted new approaches and recently conducted three combat readiness drills at night which included aircraft and ships, an official said Taiwan is monitoring China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) exercises for changes in their size or pattern as the nation prepares for president-elect William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration on May 20, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. Tsai made the comment at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, in response to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu’s (王定宇) questions. China continues to employ a carrot-and-stick approach, in which it applies pressure with “gray zone” tactics, while attempting to entice Taiwanese with perks, Tsai said. These actions aim to help Beijing look like it has
China’s intrusive and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region are “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive,” new US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said on Friday, adding that he would continue working with allies and partners to keep the area free and open. Paparo made the remarks at a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, where he took over the command from Admiral John Aquilino. “Our world faces a complex problem set in the troubling actions of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and its rapid buildup of forces. We must be ready to answer the PRC’s increasingly intrusive and
UNWAVERING: Paraguay remains steadfast in its support of Taiwan, but is facing growing pressure at home and abroad to switch recognition to Beijing, Pena said Paraguayan President Santiago Pena has pledged to continue enhancing cooperation with Taiwan, as he and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait using force, Japanese media reported on Saturday. Kishida yesterday completed a trip to France, Brazil and Paraguay, his first visit to South America since taking office in 2021. After the Japanese leader and Pena spoke for more than an hour on Friday, exchanging views on the situation in East Asia in the face of China’s increasing military pressure on Taiwan, they affirmed that “unilateral attempts to change the