Seven New Taipei City inspectors are being investigated over allegations they received bribes from the proprietors of the Formosa Fun Coast (八仙海岸) water park in exchange for a safety inspection pass, which prosecutors said might have been a contributing factor to the June 27 powder explosion disaster at the site.
The seven officials were yesterday summoned for questioning at Taipei’s Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office to verify the details of the safety inspection conducted at the water park on June 18 — 10 days before the explosion and the resulting fire that injured 495 people.
Prosecutors are looking into possible charges of corruption, dereliction of duty and receiving improper benefits, amid allegations that each inspector received water park entrance tickets and hotel vouchers, in addition to about NT$20,000 in gift coupons.
Photo: CNA
The June 18 safety inspection was carried out by a team of seven inspectors from New Taipei City’s Department of Health, Fire Department, Tourism and Travel Department, and Sports Office.
According to a preliminary investigation by prosecutors, the inspectors accepted tickets and vouchers from the water park’s proprietors, and falsified parts of their inspection report for the park to obtain approval and hold the “Color Play Asia” event.
Prosecutors allegedly found an account ledger belonging to the water park, which includes an entry on the New Taipei City inspectors receiving tickets and vouchers from the park, the Chinese-language weekly Next Magazine reported yesterday.
New Taipei Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) vowed to get to the bottom of the matter, adding that a probe by the city government’s Ethics Office is under way.
“We are undertaking our own official investigation to find out if the inspectors did receive bribes. We also want to clarify if allegations of bribe-taking are connected to the powder explosion disaster,” Chu said.
He added that if any city government officials were found to have broken the law, they would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
A prosecutor said that falsification of the safety inspection report likely contributed to the difficulties and delays firefighters and emergency medical personnel encountered in trying to rescue people hurt in the explosion, as the report failed to address problems such as road access, blocked side entrances and evacuation routes.
New Taipei City Government spokesperson Lin Chieh-yu (林芥佑) said that the disaster was also caused by the water park proprietor modifying its water recreation facility and emptying water out of the swimming pool, which led to serious flaws.
However, that is a separate issue from the safety inspection that took place 10 days before the disaster, and the public should not mix the two issues together, Lin said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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