Former premier Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) was questioned yesterday as a witness over the kickback and murder scandal involving Taiwan's 1991 purchase of Lafayette-class frigates.
Siew issued a statement after the questioning stating that in 1990, as the then-minister of economic affairs, he had been invited to visit France. During the trip, Siew said, French officials expressed serious concern over a growing trade deficit between the two countries. Siew then suggested that France could narrow the deficit by agreeing to sell fighter jets and warships to Taiwan.
"Then-premier Hau Pei-tsun (
PHOTO: LO PEI-DER, TAIPEI TIMES
The government's original plan in 1988 was to purchase South Korean-made frigates, but it decided in 1990 to purchase the French-made Lafayette frigates instead.
Prosecutors are attempting to determine why the government changed its mind over the warship procurement.
A special prosecutorial panel investigating the high-profile scandal earlier this month subpoenaed former deputy chief of the general staff Hsia Tien (
Hsia, who accompanied Hau on a trip to France in 1989, filed a cable during their France visit on Hau's orders asking the navy to suspend the plan to procure the South Korean-made frigates.
The cable is believed to detail the government's about-face on the frigate procurement.
The subpoena of Siew and Hsia paved the way for Hau's questioning.
The special prosecutorial panel said it would summon Hau for questioning this week.
Prosecutors may subpoena other former policymakers involved in the Lafayette-class frigate procurement, including former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝).
Lee has previously said that he was not involved in the decision-making process over the warship procurement, and that he did not have the power to interfere with military affairs.
Lee assumed office in 1988, after former president Chiang Ching-kuo (
The special prosecutorial panel has scrutinized a large number of Swiss court files believed to be related to the kickback scandal.
They include information about 46 bank accounts in the name of Andrew Wang (
The files also include details on a number of previously unexposed overseas bank accounts related to the US$2.8 billion Lafayette deal, as well as information about account transactions.
Andrew Wang fled the country following the death of naval Captain Yin Ching-feng (
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
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