French banker to assistin frigate investigation

A former official from a French bank is to come to Taiwan to help investigations into a huge bribery scandal connected to the sale of French frigates, a justice official said yesterday.

State Public Prosecutor General Lu Ren-fa (盧仁發) confirmed reports that Joel Bucher, formerly of Societe Generale's Taiwan office, would "lend a hand in the investigation."

But Lu declined to specify when Bucher, who worked in Taipei from 1986 to 1992, would travel to Taiwan.

Lu heads an inquiry team established last August on the orders of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) after previous probes into the kickback scandal, believed to be worth more than US$300 million, reached a dead end.

The scandal is linked to a 1991 agreement between Taiwan and French arms supplier Thomson-CSF for the procurement of six Lafayette-class frigates for US$2.8 billion.

Lu has said there is evidence the price was artificially inflated by NT$10.8 billion (US$313 million), with a series of people benefiting from kickbacks.

Reports said that while in Paris prosecutor Hung Wei-hua (洪威華) had obtained documents showing bribes going to "a top Taiwan politician," among others.

Hung's trip also took him to Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein, where judicial authorities have separately found bank accounts containing money allegedly paid out by suspected French arms dealers to help ease the sale.