Two key figures close to the Lafayette frigate scandal criticized the government yesterday for its apparent unwillingness to push forward with investigations.
"It's [the investigation] almost stopped. It seems no one's really doing anything," presidential national policy advisor Hsieh Tsung-min (
Hsieh said he believed in the determination of the special investigation task force to obtain the list of the beneficiaries of the scandal and solve the case, but any development now depends on the navy.
Hsieh has argued that the navy should seek arbitration with the French manufacturere of the frigates Thomson-CSF, now called Thales, in the hope that people who took commissions could be named.
"What could the investigation task force do if the navy does not take any action?" Hsieh asked.
Hsieh complained that there was still no sign the government was going to assist in the lawsuit.
PFP Legislator Lee Ching-hua (
Hsieh said that prosecutors in Switzerland were awaiting assistance from Taiwan.
"They hope Taiwan's prosecutors will provide relevant evidence to show the frozen money of Andrew Wang (
Up to US$140 million in Swiss bank savings of the former Thomson-CSF Taiwan agent was frozen earlier this month.
Meanwhile, media reported that the former manager of French bank Societe Generale's Taipei branch, Joel Bucher, said in Paris after his visit to Taiwan that he doubted the investigators in Taiwan were really willing to probe the destination of the
commissions.
But Bucher denied the reports yesterday. He said that during his five-day visit in Taiwan he felt that the investigators and prosecutors were active, "but there maybe for political reasons ? they cannot [act] freely."
Bucher told the Taipei Times, however, that he was disappointed by local media reports quoting investigators as saying that he failed to offer useful information about the commission.
In related news, Tu Cheng Chun-chu (
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