The National Development Fund (NDF) did not have three board members and one supervisor at Yu Chang Biologics Co (宇昌生技股份有限公司) when Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was company chairperson, contradicting claims made by the DPP, Council for Economic Planning and Development Minister Christina Liu (劉憶如) said yesterday after releasing four documents related to the formation of the company.
“These documents prove that the seats obtained by the NDF did not reflect its share of investment in Yu Chang and they confirm that the DPP’s claims are wrong,” Liu, who is the current convener of the fund, told a press conference.
On Friday, Liu said the fund, which held a 40 percent stake in Yu Chang — now known as TaiMed Biologics Inc (中裕新藥股份有限公司) — only obtained one seat as a board member in addition to one non-voting supervisor position — Academia Sinica president Wong Chi-huey (翁啟惠) and then-Council for Economic Planning and Development chairperson Ho Mei-yueh (何美玥) — following the company’s first shareholder meeting. The meeting was chaired by Tsai on Sept. 3, 2007.
However, based on a plan made on Aug. 31, 2007, the fund should have had three seats on the company’s eight-seat board Liu said.
DPP spokesperson Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said on Saturday that from the time the company was created, the fund had always held three director spots and one supervisor position.
The DPP then filed a lawsuit against Liu, saying she was spreading rumors and false statements for the purpose of either getting a candidate elected or impeding another’s election chances. It was the second lawsuit the party has filed against Liu over the Yu Chang case.
However, Liu said the documents released yesterday confirmed that the question she raised on Friday was legitimate and that the DPP had provided “incorrect” information to the public.
“The DPP should admit that its lawsuit against me is malicious,” Liu said.
Liu said, following a request by the fund, scientists David Ho (何大一) and Chen Lan-bo (陳良博) were elected as the fund’s representatives on the Yu Chang board on Sep. 29, 2007, but that Ho eventually resigned his seat, bringing the number of board members from the fund to less than four.
“Why did the NDF give up its own rights in the Yu Chang case?” she asked.
Liu said she would keep raising questions about the case until Tsai and the DPP properly answer the ones she has already asked.
In response, Tsai’s campaign spokesperson Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) said that while Liu had submitted “new questions,” there was no substantial context to them.
“We don’t think it is necessary to respond to her questions again since we have detailed our explanation to all the questions she has posed,” Hsu said.
Three board members and a supervisor were allocated to represent the fund, Hsu said, but Chen and Ho — who are US citizens — were not officially on the board until they finalized the necessary paperwork in October 2007.
Tsai, who was on a campaign trip in the south yesterday, said in Pingtung County that Liu’s comments and behavior have been “a little bit out of control and unreasonable.”
“The entire process of the formation of Yu Chang is transparent and well-documented and all the related information can be found in the government archives,” Tsai said
“Minister Liu also said she did not think it was a scandal, but now she is coming up with all these questions … I do think President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) owes the public an apology when a government official sets a bad example by crossing the line of neutrality and failing to recognize his or her duty,” Tsai added.
On Liu’s questioning of her qualifications as chairperson of a biotechnology company, saying she could not be compared with Morris Chang (張忠謀) in the semiconductor industry or Steve Chan (詹啟賢) in the biotech industry, Tsai said she joined the company to try to help contribute to a strategically important industry and never saw herself as having the same status as Morris Chang.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
RSS