A Taipei City councilor has accused one of Taiwan's most prominent former police chiefs of living beyond his means and has demanded an explanation.
New Party Taipei City Councilor Lee Ching-yuan (李慶元) said that Ding Yuan-chin (丁原進) -- former head of the National Police Administration and previous chief of the Taipei City Police Headquarters -- purchased an upscale villa in Taipei's Wenshan District at a price much lower than its market value at the time.
The city councilor alleged that the preferential treatment given to Ding shaved NT$16.1 million off the price of the house.
Lee also claimed that Ding has refused to pay an interior decorator NT$4.7 million in redecoration expenses -- a sum which is now seven months overdue.
While Ding was unavailable to comment, his son, Ding Chao-chi (
Lee, who made the allegation at the city council yesterday morning, said that his own investigation showed that in 1999 Ding paid only half of the market price to buy the 14th and 15th floor of the 16-story Universal Villa (
"While the unit price of the villa cost about NT$350,000 per ping at that time, Ding spent only NT$200,000 per ping. In other words, it cost Ding only NT$21.4 million for the 107-ping, two-story house," Lee said.
If the price had not been lowered it should have cost Ding NT$37.5. million, Lee said, adding that it seemed suspicious for a civil servant, earning a modest salary, to buy a house with NT$21.4 million in cash.
"I call on Ding to offer us an explanation about his source of funding. Did he or did he not accept any preferential treatment from [construction tycoon] Ong Da-ming (
Ong is the CEO of the Hualon Corp (
Ding's son denied that the apartment had been purchased at a lower price because of his father's connections with Ong.
"I don't see the necessity of offering an explanation to the public about how we managed to purchase the house," he said.
Lee said he brought up the issue of unpaid design expenses at the request of Ding's interior designer, Ko Wen-cheng (
Producing detailed documentation of the project yesterday, Ko said that Ding has paid only about NT$3 million out of the total bill of NT$8 million, which was due at the end of last year.
Ding Chao-chi, however, said that the original quote they agreed upon was NT$4.5 million, but that the bill was later inflated to NT$7.8 million.
"We've already paid NT$3 million, but he's been asking us to pay NT$4 million more while the project is not even complete," he said.
According to Ko, the marble floor laid in the living room, kitchen, and restrooms was the most expensive item, accounting for NT$4.3 million. Two imported jacuzzies also carried a price tag of NT$175,000 apiece.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday said that China using armed force against Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, allowing the country to mobilize the Japanese armed forces under its security laws. Takaichi made the remarks during a parliamentary session while responding to a question about whether a "Taiwan contingency" involving a Chinese naval blockade would qualify as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, according to a report by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun. "If warships are used and other armed actions are involved, I believe this could constitute a survival-threatening situation," Takaichi was quoted as saying in the report. Under Japan’s security legislation,
RSS