Former Taoyuan County deputy commissioner Yeh Shih-wen (葉世文) and Farglory Land Development Co (遠雄建設) chairman Chao Teng-hsiung (趙藤雄), one of Taiwan’s most successful real-estate tycoons, were indicted yesterday on corruption charges involving two government-sponsored low-cost housing projects, prosecutors said.
In addition to Yeh and Chao, who have been detained for nearly two months, three other suspects are facing related charges. One of the three is alleged to have played the part of intermediary and has been cooperating with prosecutors.
Prosecutors said that during the investigation into one of the cases, Chao admitted paying a bribe of NT$16 million (US$532,561) to Yeh through the intermediary to win a NT$1.3 billion construction contract in the northern county in April.
Photo: CNA
Yeh, 66, is also being investigated for possible bribe-taking in two other development projects.
He was head of the Construction and Planning Agency (CPA) under the Ministry of the Interior, where he allegedly earned a reputation for questionable ethics, before being appointed Taoyuan County deputy commissioner in July last year.
He was sacked on May 30, when investigators conducting searches at his home and office found cash worth millions of dollars.
Photo: Chien Lee-chung, Taipei Times
Yeh, Chao, former National Taipei University of Technology Professor Tsai Jen-hui (蔡仁惠) and Farglory vice president Wei Chun-hsiung (魏春雄) were indicted under the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例).
The indictment said Chao has never thought about giving back to society despite using what is the equivalent of social funds and thought only to bribe county officials and seek personal profit. It added that to date he has only said that he is unaware of, or he does not remember, crucial details of the alleged dealings.
The prosecutors recommended that the court give Chao a heavier sentence due to him having shown no sign of being contrite over his actions.
As far as Yeh is concerned, the indictment said he has betrayed the state’s trust in him after it placed him in a position of power.
A man who had been the Construction and Planning Agency head and later became a deputy county commissioner should have displayed greater self-control and ethics, the indictment said.
Yeh has forgotten the responsibilities of his office and has also abused the power entrusted to him by the public when he asked Far Glory for bribes totaling NT$59.5 million, it added.
By asking for bribes Yeh has caused Far Glory to attempt to recoup those losses from housing prices and has severely damaged the sterling image of incorruptible civil servants in the public’s mind, as well as their trust in government employees, it said.
Prosecutors asked the court to give Yeh a heavier sentence.
The prosecutors asked the court to grant Tsai immunity for cooperating with the authorities in their investigation into the alleged crimes.
A fifth person, Yeh’s girlfriend, Chen Li-ling (陳麗玲), was named as the former official’s co-defendant for allegedly using undue influence to blackmail a developer into an agreement to give them free furniture worth NT$7.5 million when they bought a house.
Yeh is facing another charge, also under the Anti-Corruption Act, of having NT$30 million in his possession of which he could not give a credible account.
Yeh may have pocketed a total of nearly NT$100 million in illegal gains, the prosecutors said.
Chao was late yesterday granted bail of NT$30 million, but at the time of going to press it was not clear whether he had been released.
RESTAURANT POISONING? Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang at a press conference last night said this was the first time bongkrekic acid was detected in Taiwan An autopsy discovered bongkrekic acid in a specimen collected from a person who died from food poisoning after dining at the Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said at a news conference last night. It was the first time bongkrekic acid was detected in Taiwan, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said. The testing conducted by forensic specialists at National Taiwan University was facilitated after a hospital voluntarily offered standard samples it had in stock that are required to test for bongkrekic acid, he said. Wang told the news conference that testing would continue despite
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
WIDE NET: Health officials said they are considering all possibilities, such as bongkrekic acid, while the city mayor said they have not ruled out the possibility of a malicious act of poisoning Two people who dined at a restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 last week have died, while four are in intensive care, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday. All of the outlets of Malaysian vegetarian restaurant franchise Polam Kopitiam have been ordered to close pending an investigation after 11 people became ill due to suspected food poisoning, city officials told a news conference in Taipei. The first fatality, a 39-year-old man who ate at the restaurant on Friday last week, died of kidney failure two days later at the city’s Mackay Memorial Hospital. A 66-year-old man who dined
‘CARRIER KILLERS’: The Tuo Chiang-class corvettes’ stealth capability means they have a radar cross-section as small as the size of a fishing boat, an analyst said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday presided over a ceremony at Yilan County’s Suao Harbor (蘇澳港), where the navy took delivery of two indigenous Tuo Chiang-class corvettes. The corvettes, An Chiang (安江) and Wan Chiang (萬江), along with the introduction of the coast guard’s third and fourth 4,000-tonne cutters earlier this month, are a testament to Taiwan’s shipbuilding capability and signify the nation’s resolve to defend democracy and freedom, Tsai said. The vessels are also the last two of six Tuo Chiang-class corvettes ordered from Lungteh Shipbuilding Co (龍德造船) by the navy, Tsai said. The first Tuo Chiang-class vessel delivered was Ta Chiang (塔江)