Two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators yesterday identified six French companies through which they claim Andrew Wang (
DPP legislators Hsu Kuo-yung (
"The six companies are Euromax, Middlebury, Bacellatie, Sableman, Kilkenny and Cathay. They opened 42 bank accounts in seven banks, giving about NT$17 billion [US$523.4 million] in kickbacks," Hsu told a press conference organized by the lawmakers.
PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
The five named were former premier Hau Pei-tsun (
The two lawmakers said Hau had made the decision to buy the Lafayette frigates instead of South Korean-made vessels.
The Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister newspaper) reported an aide to Hau said yesterday that an investigation by the Control Yuan had already proven the former premier's innocence in the case.
"Hau favored the Lafayette frigates over the South Korean vessels when he was chief of the general staff because he thought the French ships were more advanced. But he was not involved in the decision-making process when the government made the deal with France," the aide was quoted as saying.
The DPP pair, however, said yesterday that Hsia had once admitted during a question-and-answer session in the legislature that Hau had told defense officials to buy the French ships.
The legislators also appeared in court yesterday in connection with a lawsuit filed by retired vice admiral Lei Hsueh-ming (
Lei was indicted in July 2001, along with Wang and four other high-ranking officers on charges of forgery and corruption. The six had backed the purchase of South Korean ships until they made a trip to France. Afterwards they proposed buying the Lafayettes.
Lei's daughter, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Joanna Lei (雷倩) was quoted by the Central News Agency yesterday accusing Hsu and Lai of trying to delay the hearings in her father's case by asking the court to summon Hau and other former officials.
The combined effect of the monsoon, the outer rim of Typhoon Fengshen and a low-pressure system is expected to bring significant rainfall this week to various parts of the nation, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The heaviest rain is expected to occur today and tomorrow, with torrential rain expected in Keelung’s north coast, Yilan and the mountainous regions of Taipei and New Taipei City, the CWA said. Rivers could rise rapidly, and residents should stay away from riverbanks and avoid going to the mountains or engaging in water activities, it said. Scattered showers are expected today in central and
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