Print

Mail

wiki links

DPP accuses KMT of trying to launder stolen assets

A Chinese Nationalist Party supporter yesterday points at Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Chung-mou, left, during a demonstration outside the KMT's party headquarters demanding that the party return all its stolen assets. PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

The disposition of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) assets was at the heart of a controversy revealed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday, as lawmakers alleged that the KMT was trying to launder its stolen assets by selling them to itself.

The DPP caucus said that Walter Wang (王華特), the son of China Life Insurance Co (中國人壽) chairman Wang Chang-ching (王章清), has been helping the KMT plan the sale of party-owned Central Investment Holding Co (中央投資公司).

Walter Wang is the head of Intellectual Capital Confederation Corp, a consulting company.

"Walter Wang may be trying to help cut a deal between Chinatrust Financial Holding Co (中信金控) chairman Jeffrey Koo's (辜濂松) family and the KMT over Central Investment Holding Co," DPP Legislator Chang Hsueh-shun (張學舜), who is in charge of the DPP task force on investigating the inappropriately obtained party assets, said yesterday.

In addition to his business roles, Jeffrey Koo is also a member of the KMT's Central Standing Committee.

Earlier it had been reported that the Koo family was among the interested bidders for Central Investment Holding Co.

But Walter Wang refused to comment on the DPP's revelation yesterday.

"As a professional consulting company, we are not allowed to comment on things like this," Wang said.

Meanwhile, the DPP caucus also said that the KMT had returned only 1 percent of its stolen assets, instead of the 80 percent that the KMT has claimed. The DPP said the KMT still has more than NT$20 billion assets in its possessions.

The DPP caucus said that the KMT has returned 1.12 percent of the stolen assets, but was trying to avoid returning the rest of its assets.

"So far the property the Ministry of Finance and the KMT have agreed to return to the national treasury is only a small part of all the inappropriately obtained assets. There remains about 99 percent of the assets still waiting to be dealt with," Chang said.

"According to the real estate estimates publicized by the government, the unreturned assets are worth over NT$20 billion. We hope the KMT can become sincere about returning these assets," Chang said.

Chang also made allegations of funds having been transfered from secret sources to help the KMT launder its assets, but he did not give any concrete evidence.

When asked whether the funds could have come from China, Chang said he had no idea, but that the task force was working to learn more about the secret funds.

DPP caucus whip Lee Chun-yee (李俊毅), meanwhile, urged the public to help uncover which assets the KMT stole.

"After we have gathered all the information, the caucus will offer its version of a statute governing stolen party assets, and attach all information regarding the assets with the statute, so that anyone who helps the KMT by purchasing its assets will be held to account as an accomplice in helping the KMT launder its stolen goods," Lee said.
This story has been viewed 2102 times.