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
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique