Minister of Justice Luo Ying-shay (羅瑩雪) yesterday at a Legislative Yuan committee inquiry session denied the ministry’s involvement in an ongoing investigation of the Taipei Dome project started when President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was mayor of Taipei.
Luo said the case was being investigated by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office and she had not asked about it out of respect for the office’s jurisdiction.
According to reports by Storm Media Group, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Te-fu (林德福) — who is also a member of the legislature’s Judicial Committee — asked Luo whether the ministry would reject an investigation request on the grounds that the ministry does not have investigative authority.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
The ministry had cited that reason for rejecting an investigation into the Taipei Dome and MeHAS City projects after the Taipei City Government asked that the investigation be turned over to the ministry, the report said.
The municipality’s Clean Government Committee attempted to turn over the investigation to the ministry before the Lunar New Year holiday last month, the report said.
Luo said the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office was investigating the issue and there was no other reason that the request would be rejected, adding that while the master copy of the official request had been sent to the ministry, the prosecutors’ office received a copy as well.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
The investigation is being carried out by the prosecutors’ office and the ministry would not intervene or ask about it, Luo said.
Meanwhile, Presidential Office spokesperson Charles Chen (陳以信) said Ma has a clean record, one that could stand up against the most critical of inspections.
Ma has made known his willingness to cooperate with the ongoing investigation if required, Chen said.
However, Chen said the committee’s credibility has been doubtful since last year.
Even Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) has changed his rhetoric and simply calls the five controversial cases the “five cases” instead of the “five scandals,” Chen said.
The five cases also include the Twin Star project, the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and the Syntrend Digital Park.
Ko has said that all five projects benefitted contractors prior to his election as mayor in 2014.
Ko and Taipei Department of Legal Affairs Director Yang Fang-ling (楊芳玲) have both said the Taipei Dome project was “legal, but unreasonable,” Chen said, adding that if Ma is proved innocent, Ko must take both legal and political responsibility for accusing the president of collusion with corporations during his tenure as mayor of Taipei.
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on Friday expressed concern over the rate at which China is diversifying its military exercises, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Saturday. “The rates of change on the depth and breadth of their exercises is the one non-linear effect that I’ve seen in the last year that wakes me up at night or keeps me up at night,” Paparo was quoted by FT as saying while attending the annual Sedona Forum at the McCain Institute in Arizona. Paparo also expressed concern over the speed with which China was expanding its military. While the US
‘FALLACY’: Xi’s assertions that Taiwan was given to the PRC after WWII confused right and wrong, and were contrary to the facts, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday called Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) claim that China historically has sovereignty over Taiwan “deceptive” and “contrary to the facts.” In an article published on Wednesday in the Russian state-run Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Xi said that this year not only marks 80 years since the end of World War II and the founding of the UN, but also “Taiwan’s restoration to China.” “A series of instruments with legal effect under international law, including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Declaration have affirmed China’s sovereignty over Taiwan,” Xi wrote. “The historical and legal fact” of these documents, as well
RSS