Former first lady Tseng Wen-hui (曾文惠) is innocent of charges that she fled to the US with millions of dollars in cash following the presidential election last year, according to the former bureau director of the Investigation Bureau.
Wang Kuang-yu (王光宇) said that the bureau's investigations found that there was no truth to the charges and that the bureau had closed the case.
Wang's appearance at the Taipei District Court was the first time in history that the investigation bureau chief was asked to testify in a case which is under the bureau's investigation.
Wang said the bureau had launched investigations after reports that New Party legislators Hsieh Chi-ta (謝啟大) and Elmer Feng (馮滬祥), as well as Tai Chi (戴錡), a New Party member of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission, claimed that Tseng had fled to the US with US$85 million in cash. The reports also stated that the lawmakers alleged that Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) wife hid the money and other valuables in a suitcase when she left the country shortly after the presidential election on March 18 last year.
Hsieh accused Lee of making his wife take the amount to the US soon after the KMT's defeat in the presidential election. Angry protesters demonstrated against Lee in front of the KMT headquarters on March 19.
The reports also said that the money was returned by US customs officials because it exceeded the amount of money that can be taken into the US.
The former bureau chief said that, during the period, there were four remissions of US dollars to Taiwan, but the investigation found that the US currency was purchased by the Bank of America.
The vice chairman of the Bank of America, Liu Mao-fang (劉懋芳) and manager Su Yi-ling (蘇宜玲) also testified at the hearing.
Wang said that, as he was present at the court as an ordinary citizen, he therefore did not have any official documents to prove his testimony. He said that the bureau considered the case closed after the charges proved to be ungrounded.
On July 27 last year, Lee's wife asked for NT$300 million in damages from Fung and Hsieh for what she said were disparaging remarks on her character by the lawmakers.
Feng is currently on trial for allegedly defaming the former first lady. A counter-suit accuses Tseng of bringing false charges against Feng.
Feng held a press conference on March 23 last year, during which he had a telephone discussion with Tai Chi, who was in the US and claimed to have evidence about Tseng's alleged plan to fly to the US with suitcases of money.
Both Feng and Hsieh attended the hearing yesterday.
The judge said the next hearing is scheduled to be on March 4 of next year.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
RSS