A prosecutor who was ordered to investigate the Lafayette frigate scandal in Switzerland returned home yesterday with some important information that might help unravel the kickback mystery, the Chinese-language media reported yesterday.
Sources said that prosecutor Lo Jung-chien (
In order to obtain the names of those individuals receiving kickbacks from Taiwan's purchase of six French-made Lafayette-class frigates, Lu contacted Swiss authorities in mid-June requesting permission to examine all of Wang's accounts and financial documents.
Lu also indicated at the time that Taiwan would be willing to help with any Swiss investigation involving Wang.
However, the Swiss banks refused to provide Lo with the relevant account numbers or names in a bid to protect their reputations.
In related news, People First Party Legislator Lee Ching-hua (
Lee said high-ranking officials in former president Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) administration are apparently linked to the snowballing frigate scandal and the mysterious death of the late captain Yin Ching-feng (尹清楓).
The legislator stressed that since investigators have been unwilling to investigate the financial details, he has not ruled out the possibility of legal measures to help unravel the case.
He said about six months ago he questioned Chang Che-chen (張哲琛), head of the KMT administrative committee, about the rumor that when former president Lee served as KMT chairman, some of the chairman's money was transferred into Lee's spokesman, Su Chih-cheng's (蘇志誠), account. Lee says Chang confirmed the rumor at that point but that prosecutors have not launched investigations into it.
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