Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and pan-blue politicians exchanged lawsuits yesterday over political donations.
Presidential Office Secretary-General Chiou I-jen (
"Mr. James Soong and others still cannot offer any evidence to prove that the Presidential Office is a center for `black gold' politics, so I am filing a lawsuit against them on behalf of the Presidential Office," Chiou said.
The six politicians are People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), PFP legislators Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) and Lin Yu-fang (林郁方), and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislators Lee Chuan-chiao (李全教), Chu Fong-chi (朱鳳芝) and Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順).
On Wednesday, Chiou demanded the blue camp apologize or show proof of their allegation, or face a lawsuit. But the politicians rejected the demand.
Chiou's deputy, Chen Che-nan (陳哲男), also filed lawsuits against Lee Chuan-chiao and PFP Legislator Lee Tung-hao (李桐豪) for libel, demanding NT$50 million as compensation. DPP Legislator Chang Ching-fang (張清芳) filed a lawsuit against Lee Tung-hao for libel as well.
Chen said, "Lee Chuan-chiao held a press conference to accuse me of handling illegal money, and that someone gave NT$20 million to dine with me in the Presidential Office. But this is not a fact. I did not see Chang Min-chiang (章民強)," Chen said.
Chang Min-chiang is chairman of the Pacific Sogo Department Stores.
"Lee Tung-hao also said that I had an apartment worth NT$60 million in Kaohsiung, and it is not true either. Both accusations have damaged my reputation," Chen said.
Countering the DPP's lawsuits, the PFP legislative caucus filed lawsuits against Chiou, accusing him of making malicious accusations against PFP politicians.
The PFP caucus said the Presidential Office was only shifting the focus to cover up the issue of the top officials taking illegal donations and no one has yet to clear up the matter.
Huang Shan-shan (
"With the Presidential Office charging PFP politicians with public insult to a public office, does that mean the Presidential Office's duty included taking money and interfering with the management of private enterprises?" Huang asked.
Meanwhile, Lee Chuan-chiao disappeared yesterday, although he accepted a phone interview with the media. Lee refused to disclose his whereabouts and said it was because he had received too many threats in the past few days.
Pacific Construction Co (太平洋建設) issued a statement two days ago saying that there was a top official at the Presidential Office involved in the management transfer of Pacific Sogo, but its chairman, Chang Min-chiang, never went to the Presidential Office to meet anyone, and never spent NT$20 million to meet Presidential Office officials.
According to Pacific Construction, the money, instead, was given by Mingyang Development Company (明陽開發公司), but Pacific Construction refused to explain where the money went.
Lee Chuan-chiao then alleged that it was Chang Min-chiang's son, Chang Chi-min (章啟民), who went to the Presidential Office to see Chen Che-nan. Lee Chuan-chiao said that Chang Min-chiang went to see him to talk about the matter on Monday, accompanied by four friends.
Lee Chuan-chiao urged Chang Min-chiang not to deny anything, threatening to reveal the names of the four friends, who he said were all respected and well-known figures.
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
WARNING: People in coastal areas need to beware of heavy swells and strong winds, and those in mountainous areas should brace for heavy rain, the CWA said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued sea and land warnings for Typhoon Ragasa, forecasting that it would continue to intensify and affect the nation the most today and tomorrow. People in Hualien and Taitung counties, and mountainous areas in Yilan and Pingtung counties, should brace for damage caused by extremely heavy rain brought by the typhoon’s outer rim, as it was upgraded to a super typhoon yesterday morning, the CWA said. As of 5:30pm yesterday, the storm’s center was about 630km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving northwest at 21kph, and its maximum wind speed had reached
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said that it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Ragasa this morning and a land warning at night as it approached Taiwan. Ragasa intensified from a tropical storm into a typhoon at 8am yesterday, the CWA said, adding that at 2pm, it was about 1,110km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip. The typhoon was moving northwest at 13kph, with sustained winds of up to 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA Web site showed. Forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that Ragasa was projected to strengthen as it neared the Bashi Channel, with its 200km
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hualien and Taitung counties declared today a typhoon day, while schools and offices in parts of Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties are also to close Typhoon Ragasa was forecast to hit its peak strength and come closest to Taiwan from yesterday afternoon through today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Taiwan proper could be out of the typhoon’s radius by midday and the sea warning might be lifted tonight, it added. CWA senior weather specialist Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said that Ragasa’s radius had reached the Hengchun Peninsula by 11am yesterday and was expected to hit Taitung County and Kaohsiung by yesterday evening. Ragasa was forecast to move to Taiwan’s southern offshore areas last night and to its southwestern offshore areas early today, she added. As of 8pm last night,
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