Independent presidential candidate James Soong (
The story, which appeared on Wednesday, quoted unnamed investigators and Taiwanese residing in Hawaii as saying Soong owned an apartment on Alamona Boulevard, on Oahu Island, near the famous Waikiki Beach.
The report came in the wake of an investigation into money Soong was said to have remitted to overseas accounts, which now stands at an estimated NT$300 million.
Yesterday, Soong's lawyer, Huang Tung-hsiung (
Soong told reporters in Taichung yesterday that he will donate any damages he receives from the case for 921 earthquake relief.
Soong also called the Liberty Times report groundless and "intolerable."
Speaking at a rally in Taichung yesterday, Soong reiterated that neither he nor his wife owns real estate in the US. Only their son Soong Chen-yuan (
Meanwhile, investigators at the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office summoned more witnesses for questioning into Soong's financial dealings.
Among them was Wang Hsin-hsin (
Prosecutors believe Soong remitted massive funds to a number of legislative candidates during that year's election campaign.
Apart from the prosecutors, the Control Yuan also plans to summon key witnesses for questioning next week. The witnesses are likely to include Ma Chieh-ming (
Meanwhile, a war of words continued between Soong and deputy Minister of Finance Yen Ching-chang (顏慶章), whom Soong has accused of spreading rumors.
Yen told reporters yesterday that Soong's son and daughter-in-law, as well as her parents, were among the recipients of money Soong's financial advisor, Chen Pi-yun (
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
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
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
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