Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday said he was willing to be investigated and remove himself from a task force mandated with determining whether corruption was involved in a procurement scandal, and urged the opposition to stop its “political machinations” in the run-up to the November elections.
Hau said that when he promised last week that there would be “no limits” to the investigation, he meant anyone related to the matter would be looked into.
“It of course includes myself,” he said. “If they put me under investigation, I will be happy to leave the task force.”
On Friday, Hau set up a task force — headed by himself — to determine if corruption or bribery was involved in purchase plans for the Xinsheng Overpass and the Taipei International Flora Expo.
Two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) city councilors last week said the contract price for flowers used to spruce up the overpass was unreasonably high.
The city government failed to clarify the matter and did not take any action until Thursday, when it punished the responsible officials and launched an investigation. The city’s initial probe showed that the civil servants who handled the project were seriously negligent.
Two other DPP city councilors said on Friday that water pipes contracted for the overpass were bought at 10 times the market price.
The latest findings showed that in addition to the flowers and plants for the overpass, the contractor also overcharged on at least seven other purchase plans. As a result, the city government paid up to 12 times the market price for project materials.
DPP city councilors filed a lawsuit against Hau on Thursday, accusing him of negligence.
DPP City Councilor Chuang Ruei-hsiung (莊瑞雄) further raised eyebrows when he alleged on Saturday that the city government became aware of the overpricing when city auditors pointed out the problems in May 2008.
Hau yesterday told city councilors that city auditors found it was “inappropriate” for Join Engineering Consultants (昭凌工程顧問) to set prices by averaging the figures proposed by bidders in six previous failed biddings.
Doing so was “not illegal,” Hau said, but since the matter had caused public concern, he was duty bound to uncover the truth and bear the consequences.
Hau admitted reacting slowly to the allegations and apologized again, saying the matter had undermined the city government’s image and caused public concern.
However, he said that the purchase plans of the flora expo were conducted in a more discrete manner and that so far, only four items out of 1,000 were found to be overpriced.
Hau said he regretted that “somebody” was using the controversy as ammunition ahead of the November elections.
“It’s OK for them to have doubts about me or the city government. It’s OK for me to lose the election, but please don’t let Taiwan miss a chance to shine in the international arena,” he said.
While Join Engineering Consultants had historic ties with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), Yeh Ching-yuan (葉慶元), head of the city’s Law and Regulations Commission, said the bidding process was open and did not favor any particular bidder.
In addition to the the city government probe, the Control Yuan yesterday launched its own investigation into the procurement scandal.
Control Yuan member Yeh Yao-peng (葉耀鵬) told reporters that launching an investigation was necessary because the city government’s handling of the procurement bids was “ridiculous.”
Yeh said Hau could be interviewed, if necessary.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer began talks with high-ranking Chinese officials in Switzerland yesterday aiming to de-escalate a dispute that threatens to cut off trade between the world’s two biggest economies and damage the global economy. The US delegation has begun meetings in Geneva with a Chinese delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰), Xinhua News Agency said. Diplomats from both sides also confirmed that the talks have begun, but spoke anonymously and the exact location of the talks was not made public. Prospects for a major breakthrough appear dim, but there is
The number of births in Taiwan fell to an all-time monthly low last month, while the population declined for the 16th consecutive month, Ministry of the Interior data released on Friday showed. The number of newborns totaled 8,684, which is 704 births fewer than in March and the lowest monthly figure on record, the ministry said. That is equivalent to roughly one baby born every five minutes and an annual crude birthrate of 4.52 per 1,000 people, the ministry added. Meanwhile, 17,205 deaths were recorded, resulting in a natural population decrease of 8,521, the data showed. More people are also leaving Taiwan, with net
RSS