Deciphering a scandal

Prosecutors are still investigating whether a villa owned by Chang Yu-hui's son, Chang Chieh-kai (張介鍇), had anything to do with the loan granted to Yu Chuan by the Central Trust of China.

Prosecutors say there is evidence suggesting that the villa might have partly been a gift from the Jin-Wen Group to the bank chairman's son, but Chang Yu-hui denies the accusation.

7. The intervention of criminal organizations and violence.

Since independent Legislator Lo Fu-chu (羅福助) attacked PFP Legislator Diane Lee (李慶安) in the Legislative Yuan on March 28, the focus of the Jin-Wen scandal has been the fierce struggle between two factions to gain control of the boards of both the Jin-Wen Institute and Jin-Wen Senior High School.

Facing financial problems, Chang Wan-li allegedly "sold" the seats of the two boards to publisher Wu Ching-tang (吳慶堂) and chairman of the Republic of China Rowing Association (中華民國划船協會) Chen Hsi-nan (陳錫南), with each of the two giving financial support to the Jin-Wen Group in exchange for having their supporters fill the seats.

Following this, the two factions disagreed over the distribution of power on the boards and over the management of the two schools.

The factions then sought backing from legislators and now several lawmakers, some of whom are suspected of having connections with gangsters and are alleged to have improperly exercised their influence with the Ministry of Education.

Minister of Education Ovid Tzeng (曾志朗) last Thursday confirmed that a creditor of the Jin-Wen Institute had reported to the ministry that in a creditors' meeting last July some people displayed guns to intimidate other creditors.

Each side in the dispute over board seats has claimed that the other is backed by gangsters.

Palaces for politicians

High-ranking officials who reside at Ta Hsueh Shih Hsiang (大學詩鄉) community:

Lin Chao-hsien (林昭賢)

former Vice-Minister of Education (recently retired due to scandal)

Chang Yu-hui (張有惠)

Minister Without Portfolio (recently resigned due to the scandal); former president of the Central Trust of China

Kirby Yung (楊朝祥)

former Minister of Education

Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝)

former secretary-general to former president Lee Teng-hui

Hwang Jeng-shyong (黃正雄)

former deputy secretary-general to former president Lee Teng-hui

Chao Shuo-po (趙守博)

former chairman of Taiwan Provincial Government

Tsai Bih-hwang (蔡璧煌)

former chairman of the department of cultural affairs to the KMT

Huang Ta-chou (黃大洲)

former mayor of Taipei City

Heng Teh-hsuan (洪德旋)

former chairman of the Taiwan Provincial headquarters of the KMT