Prosecutors in both Taipei and Kaohsiung yesterday made a second attempt to detain key suspects in the Zanadau scandal, for fear that they may obstruct the investigation by manipulating evidence with other witnesses.
However, following a 10-hour debate, the Taipei district court took the controversial decision to release key suspect Liu Tai-ying
After the ruling, Liu told waiting reporters, "This proves that I am an innocent," before wishing everyone a happy New Year and speeding off in a waiting car.
Liu, chairman of China Development Financial Holding Corp, is suspected of financial irregularities to line his own pockets during his stint as KMT treasurer between 1993 and 2000.
Top Zanadau Development Corp shareholder Su Hui-chen (蘇惠珍) has accused Liu and his aides of bilking over NT$1 billion from her in exchange for a pledge to secure bank loans worth 10 times that amount.
Liu appeared at the Taipei District Court at 9:30am, accompanied by four lawyers. He refused to answer any questions from the press. Prosecutors first sought his arrest on Nov. 28 but the court ordered his unconditional release after 26 hours of questioning.
Investigators have voiced concerns that the court's failure to detain Liu has provided the financier with the opportunity to manipulate evidence with other witnesses, some of whom have changed their testimony.
But Liu's lawyers dismissed the worries as unwarranted, saying authorities have locked two of Liu's associates, Lee Ming-che (李明哲) and Hsieh Sheng-fu (謝生富), on charges of corruption and breach of trust.
The pair allegedly acted as middlemen between Liu and those seeking favors. Liu allegedly dispensed favors mainly by directing KMT-affiliated businesses to invest in, or bail out, firms closely tied to the party or himself.
Also, his lawyers argued Liu poses no threat of escape as he has been banned from overseas travel.
Liu has denied any wrongdoing and insisted various funds found at his bank accounts were political donations that fall outside the remit of existing rules.
He reportedly complained about leaks of state secrets by investigators in violation of professional conduct codes.
Liu apparently referred to the US$1 million he channeled to former Philippine president Joseph Estrada to ask Manila to allow Taiwan's military pilots to train in Philippine air space. Liu said he made the donation at the instruction of former president Lee Teng-hui (
In Kaohsiung, prosecutors sought for the second time to detain Su after their failure to do so on Christmas Eve.
Chou Chang-chin
Su is accused of unfairly boosting of the price for the land on which Zanadau planned to build a giant shopping mall in Kaohsiung County.
She has implicated scores of officials from across party lines in the multi-billion venture that ran aground later after she failed to secure bank loans and key investors pulled out.
Su is also suspected of bribing bankers and other financial frauds in an attempt to salvage her pet project.
Su, however, has ascribed her ill fate to a cross-party scheme to keep her quiet. She said has asked friends to continually expose shoddy deals of politicians on her behalf if she should be put behind bars.
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