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Taipei prosecutors indict two property bureau officials
DUBIOUS LAND DEAL:
Prosecutors charged 15 bureau officials and 10 staffers and officials of a construction company with graft and forgery
By Rich Chang
STAFF REPORTER
Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008, Page 1
Taipei prosecutors yesterday indicted National Property Bureau Deputy Director Chen Kuan-pao (陳官保) and his predecessor, Su Wei-cheng (蘇維成), on graft and forgery charges involving the sale of a plot of public land.
The prosecutors indicted a total of 25 people -- 15 bureau officials and 10 officials or staffers of a construction company -- on graft and forgery charges.
They asked the Taipei District Court to give Chen a 12-year sentence and Su, currently the director of the bureau's northern Taiwan office, 15 years in jail.
Huge losses
They said the activities of Chen, Su and the other bureau officials had inflicted heavy losses on the treasury and jeopardized the reputation of other government officials.
Bureau officials have shown no remorse for what they did and refused to cooperate during the investigation, prosecutors said.
Chen, Su and four other suspects have been detained since Nov. 15.
The prosecutors accused the bureau officials of leasing a plot of prime public land to a Taipei construction company and then selling it well below its market value.
Prosecutors said the land, covering an area of more than 200m2, is near National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall. The land originally housed dormitories belonging to two government agencies.
below value
As the dormitories were dilapidated, they were torn down a few years ago. The land was then leased to Jun He Construction Co between 2004 and 2005 and finally sold to the company in 2006 for NT$137 million (US$4 million), far less than its estimated market price of NT$400 million.
Prosecutors alleged that the bureau officials helped the construction company make an illegal profit of about NT$260 million.
Prosecutors were tipped off about possible irregularities in the deal about six months ago.
After several months of investigations, prosecutors led law enforcement officers in a raid of 17 separate locations in Taipei City and Taipei County on Nov. 15.
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