The leader of a Control Yuan task force investigating a navy hardware purchasing scandal says documents indicate a Luxembourg-based financial company had accepted huge deposits from Taiwan, which were likely used as kickbacks.
Kang Ning-hsiang (
PHOTO: AFP
Kang just returned from an investigative tour in Europe a week ago. He said that on the trip he obtained key documents concerning the commissions involved in the arms purchase scandals.
Kang said three senior officials of the Luxembourg company, Clearstream International, were fired after the money-laundering was detected.
Kang also told the Control Yuan that the indicted former head of the Naval Vessels Management Office, Vice Admiral Lei Hsueh-ming (
After nearly a year of investigation, the prosecution on Thursday indicted six former naval officers for their alleged involvement in the scandal. According to the prosecutors, the officers forged data and inflated the prices of frigate hardware to illegally benefit French manufacturer Thomson CSF, now called Thales, to the tune of FF2.4 billion, or NT$10.8 billion.
But the prosecution failed to indicate whether kickbacks had gone into the pockets of the officials it indicted, leading to speculation that prosecutors closed the case all too hastily. Lei was the highest-ranking officer of the six; the prosecutors in the indictment requested that he be sentenced to 14 years. He and other indicted persons have voiced objections to the indictments.
Kang yesterday said he regretted the need for the indictments.
"They were among the most outstanding officers in the military services and they had great skills in international negotia-tions," Kang said.
He said the task force has located other key suspects and that he was optimistic their involvement would soon be revealed.
Roland Dumas was sentenced to six months in May for receiving bribes from the formerly state-owned French oil giant Elf Aquitaine.
Meanwhile, Hsieh Tsung-min (謝聰敏), national policy adviser to the president and a consultant to the Ministry of Justice who has been devoted to the investigation of the scandal, called on those indicted on Thursday to tell the truth and help investigators get to the bottom of the issue of commissions and to prove their innocence.
He also called on the Taiwan's judiciary to seek cooperation with its French counterpart.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source