Prosecutors yesterday requested the detention of Keelung City Council Speaker Huang Ching-tai (黃景泰) on suspicion of influence peddling in a number of construction projects.
The prosecution asked the Keelung District Court to grant its request following a marathon questioning session of 12 hours, saying that it was afraid Huang could flee the country or collude with others to the detriment of their case.
The detention hearing was still ongoing at press time last night.
Photo: Lu Hsien-hsiu, Taipei Times
The prosecutors said they began their probe after receiving tips that Huang was involved in pressuring Keelung City Government officials on construction projects.
The prosecutors brought in eight suspects, including Huang, for questioning on Tuesday.
At 6am yesterday, Keelung Department of Economic Affairs Fisheries Director Lin Po-shu (林柏樹), Urban Development Bureau Construction Administration Section Chief Nien Shih-meng (黏世孟) and JSL Group manager Chien Tsai-fu (簡才富) were released on NT$100,000 (US$3,325) bail each.
Photo: Lu Hsien-hsiu, Taipei Times
Construction Administration staffer Huang Kuo-chieh (黃國傑) was bailed for NT$50,000, while Building Occupation Management Section Chief Chang Lai-hsien (張來賢) and staffer Chen Chung-liang (陳忠亮) were released on NT$50,000 and NT$30,000 bail respectively. Keelung City Council General Affairs Manager Chang Wei-chih (張惟智) was relased without bail.
According to the prosecutors, they found New Taiwan dollars and Chinese renminbi totalling NT$5 million in Huang’s office on Tuesday when they conducted a search. Huang was not able to convincingly account for the cash.
Keelung Mayor Chang Tung-jung (張通榮) yesterday said he had no comment on the matter and he respects the decisions of the judicial system.
Huang, a member of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), has been nominated by the KMT as its candidate for the year-end Keelung mayoral election.
In light of the corruption allegation, rumors are rife that the party could nominate another candidate.
KMT Legislator Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) yesterday made it clear that he would not run for the post. Former KMT legislator Ho Sheng-lung (何聖隆), meanwhile, called on the party headquarters to restart a nomination process, while calling on Huang to withdraw from the election on his own initiative.
Lin Yu-chang (林右昌), the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) candidate in the Keelung mayoral election, told a joint press conference with eight Keelung city councilors yesterday morning in Keelung: “Today could be the worst day in history for Keelung residents. It’s a disgrace and we’re all sorry about the scandal.”
“Integrity is the most important value of a mayor. As Huang is involved in a scandal at the beginning of the election campaign, I believe that all residents of Keelung would hope for a regime change to give the city a better future,” Lin said.
Meanwhile, commenting on the case, DPP New Taipei City mayoral candidate Yu Shyi-kun (游錫堃) mocked the KMT, saying that its “strongest lineup of mayoral candidates comes from a series of scandals in the housing and construction projects of the Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung and Taoyuan city governments.”
Citing previous scandals involving New Taipei City Public Works Office officials allegedly patronizing prostitutes, the MeHas City corruption case implicating two former city government officials, the recent bribery allegation involving former Taoyuan County deputy commissioner Yeh Shih-wen (葉世文) and now Huang’s case, Yu said these cases had two things in common: “They are all illicit and are all aimed at driving up real-estate prices.”
Additional reporting by Chris Wang
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘ADDITIONAL CONDITION’: Taiwan will work with like-minded countries to protect its right to participate in next year’s meeting, the foreign ministry said The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate. “The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s
RSS