Councilor blasts Lee's renovations

Election mud-slinging intensified yesterday, with a Taipei City councilor claiming that the Presidential Office last year paid for the construction of illegal add-on structures at former president Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) residence.

At a press conference yesterday, New Party Councilor Lee Ching-yuan (李慶元) produced aerial photos to back up his claim that the former president's house in Taipei's Shihlin District was expanded from about 100 pings (330m2) to over 200 pings between 1980 and 1994, and again transformed from a two-story building into a three-story one last year. No construction license was applied for in either case, according to the councilor.

The Presidential Office paid about NT$14 million for last year's construction, the councilor said.

The Presidential Office rented the house from construction company owner Chen Chin-kuang (陳金光) last year at NT$300,000 per month and renovated it for Lee's use.

Presidential Office spokeswoman Kuo Yao-chi (郭瑤琪) denied the charges, saying her office only paid for internal decorations at the house and not for any add-on structure. Kuo also cited construction contracts to back up her claim.

Lie Cheh-hsiung (劉哲雄), director of the city government's Division of Building Standards, said his office will send inspectors to the site soon.

While the 1994 expansion of the house might not violate public safety or water and soil preservation codes, last year's add-on could be a violation, said Shih Wei-pin (史維斌), captain of the division's demolition team.

Su Chin-chiang (蘇進強), secretary-general of the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), said the former president could not have been aware of any possible violation. It was a matter between the Presidential Office and the Taipei City government's construction authorities, Su said.

The former president is campaigning for TSU candidates in the year-end legislative elections.

The house in question is located in a highly protected area with a 30 percent limit on building coverage ratio and a 7m height limit.