A prosecutor said yesterday that president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (
The special investigation panel under the Supreme Prosecutors Office is probing several allegations of corruption made against Ma and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
The cases involve the three-in-one sale of the Broadcasting Corp of China, China Television Co and the Central Motion Picture Corp to China Times Group subsidiary Jungli Investment Co in 2005 for NT$9.3 billion (US$286.7 million), and the party's sale of the Institute of Policy Research and Development building to Yuan Lih Construction Corp for NT$4.3 billion last year.
Both deals took place when Ma was party chairman.
Meanwhile, prosecutors are also investigating Ma's usage of his special allowances during his terms as minister of justice, vice minister of the Mainland Affairs Council and other positions.
State Prosecutor-General Chen Tsung-ming (陳聰明) came in for criticism in January for allegedly ordering prosecutors not to summon Ma for questioning before the presidential election.
A prosecutor from the special investigation panel, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Taipei Times yesterday that prosecutors could continue to investigate Ma, summon him for questioning, or indict him before May 20. Thereafter, however, any investigation, indictment or trial must be suspended because Article 52 of the Constitution affords the president immunity from criminal prosecution.
Because of the time constraints, the prosecutor said there was little chance a case would be brought before the Taipei District Court before Ma assumes office.
Prosecutors are also awaiting the result of an appeal to the Supreme Court on the not guilty verdict in Ma's special mayoral allowance case.
The Taiwan High Court found Ma not guilty of corruption on Dec. 28 last year. Ma had been indicted in February 2006 on charges of embezzling NT$11 million from his allowance during his eight years as Taipei mayor.
Prosecutors allege that Ma diverted half of his monthly special allowance -- NT$170,000 -- to personal bank accounts between December 1998 and July 2006.
Prosecutors appealed the decision on Jan. 9.
If the Supreme Court upheld the Taiwan High Court's not guilty verdict, the prosecutor said the case would be closed. But if the Supreme Court decided to return the case to the Taiwan High Court before May 20, a retrial would commence -- only to cease once Ma took office.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS