The Taipei District Court yesterday summoned independent lawmaker Lo Fu-chu (
But both Lo and Kao failed to show, choosing instead to have their lawyers ask for them to be excused from the hearing.
During a legislative committee meeting on March 28 last year, Lo attacked PFP lawmaker Diane Lee (李慶安) and slapped her in the face. The security videotape which recorded the incident appeared to show that Kao stopped Lee's assistant from helping her, so that Lo could keep slapping her. Lee subsequently filed a lawsuit against both Lo and Kao on April 9 of last year.
"Lo is now busy with some private matters," said Tu Ying-ta (杜英達), Lo's lawyer. "As a result, he asked me to request that he be excused from appearing before the judges. He said that he would, however, do whatever it takes to show Lee his sincere regret for the incident and resolve the case. We will decide how to apologize around Chinese New Year."
Lee Fu-tien (
"She told me she might accept Lo's apology," he said. "However, up to now, there has been no communication between Lo and Lee."
Lo was put on the nation's official list of gangsters last October by an eight-member committee which convened at the Taipei City Police Headquarters.
The blacklisting followed the assaults on Lee and DPP lawmaker Yu Jan-daw (余政道). It also followed allegations that he threatened board members of the Jin-wen Institute of Technology (景文技術學院) for the purposes of extortion and amid allegations that he fabricated documents to obtain bank loans and from Tashin Securities and then pocketed the cash.
Lo is the president Tashin Securities.
Lo's term as a lawmaker will end on Jan. 31.
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
Tropical Storm Podul strengthened into a typhoon at 8pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with a sea warning to be issued late last night or early this morning. As of 8pm, the typhoon was 1,020km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving west at 23kph. The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA said. Based on the tropical storm’s trajectory, a land warning could be issued any time from midday today, it added. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said Podul is a fast-moving storm that is forecast to bring its heaviest rainfall and strongest
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