The "Black Gold Investigation Center" of the Taiwan High Court Prosecutor's Office yesterday confirmed that prosecutors have listed former minister of economic affairs Wang Chih-kang (王志剛) as a defendant in a case that concerns a NT$1 million bribe.
Prior to the announcement, Wang had been regarded as only a witness in the case.
Wang was alleged to have accepted NT$1 million as a bribe from fugitive Chen Yu-hao (
Investigators discovered transaction records detailing NT$1 million in deposits in Wang's bank account.
According to the prosecutors' office, Wang has been summoned several times for questioning in the matter, and he has maintained that the NT$1 million in his bank account was actually money from his savings.
Chen Teng-tsun (
Investigators discovered that a total of more than NT$300 million was wired into Chen Teng-tsun's bank accounts between 1998 and 2000. The money was withdrawn at various times in cash, but Chen Teng-tsun could not explain where the money went. But Chen Teng-tsun told prosecutors that the NT$300 million was from Chen Yu-hao, and he was merely "using" the money when carrying out Chen Yu-hao's bidding, although he said that he could not remember where the money went.
Prosecutors are now investigating whether additional high-ranking government officials are involved in the scandal.
Tung Ting lost the 25-year, NT$395 billion contract to supply liquid natural gas to Taiwan Power Company's 4,000-megawatt thermal power plant despite the alleged bribery.
Taipower awarded the contract to another state-run company, Chinese Petroleum Corp (
"The entire accusation is a malicious lie. The Tung Ting Company did not win the contract. Somebody has been attacking me on purpose," Wang said.
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