The Taipei City Government’s Clean Government Committee is expected to reveal today the results of its probe into how Farglory Land Development Co’s (遠雄建設) had secured the Taipei Dome project, possibly calling for an investigation of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), a former Taipei mayor, and whether he sought to benefit Farglory, media outlets have reported.
According to a report published yesterday by the Liberty Times, the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper, the committee has uncovered evidence of Ma and former Taipei Department of Finance commissioner Lee Sush-der (李述德) attempting to aid Farglory in the project.
According to the news report on the committee’s findings, the Taipei City Government under Ma had in December 2003 announced a draft contract for the Taipei Dome build-transfer-operate (BOT) project, but by October 2009, more than 90 percent of the contract had allegedly been changed.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The committee said that of the 180 subclauses in the contract, the Taipei City Government benefited from just two items, while Farglory benefited from 47.
The committee reportedly said that the city government was allegedly in violation of the Act for Promotion of Private Participation in Infrastructure Projects (促進民間參與公共建設法), adding that the removal of a clause obligating Farglory to use proceeds from subsidiary businesses in the Dome to subsidize the Dome’s sports facilities was in contravention of the act’s spirit.
The committee is reportedly calling for prosecutors to launch an investigation into the case.
The committee’s investigation task force includes lawyers Cheng Wen-lung (鄭文龍) and Yuan Shu-hui (袁秀慧), as well as city government consultant Hung Chih-kun (洪智坤).
While the Taipei City Government could pass the case to the district prosecutors’ office after the committee announces its allegations, or the lawyers could draft a report to expose the alleged illegal activity, Ma as president retains immunity from prosecution, the committee said, adding that as all members involved are ministers or above, the case might have to be transferred to the Special Investigation Division of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.
The division, established in 2007, is tasked with investigating the head of state, central government officials and high-ranking military officers suspected of graft, as well as serious criminal allegations.
Yuan yesterday afternoon said that Ma and Lee were part of the first phase of the inquiry and that the committee would not exclude looking into former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin’s (郝龍斌) role in the second phase of the investigation.
The task force is not focused on Ma or Lee, but rather on any official in a position to influence policy decisions on the Taipei Dome project, Yuan said.
Meanwhile, Lee yesterday rejected the allegations and said neither he nor Ma tried to benefit Farglory.
The committee should not become Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) political executioner, Lee added.
Lee rejected claims of having held secret meetings with Farglory and said that the city government had constantly been at odds with the developer, adding that it sought only to benefit city residents and not the corporation.
“The mayor and the city government will be discussing the issue based on the committee’s report and all further action will have to wait until after the report is published,” Taipei City Government spokesman Sidney Lin (林鶴明) said.
Additional reporting by CNA
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist
By refusing to agree spending increases to appease US President Donald Trump, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez threatened to derail a summit that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte needs to run smoothly for the sake of the military alliance’s future survival. Ahead of yesterday’s gathering in The Hague, Netherlands, things were going off the rails. European officials have expressed irritation at the spoiler role that Sanchez is playing when their No. 1 task is to line up behind a pledge to raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP. Rutte needed to keep Spain in line while preventing others such as Slovakia
RSS