Premier Yu Shyi-kun reaffirmed the government's determination yesterday to get to the bottom of the scandal surrounding the 1991 purchase of six Lafayette-class frigates from France.
"As national reputation, government credibility and individual human rights are at stakes in the Lafayette procurement scandal, the government will never waver in its commitment to find the truth about the purchase and any irregularities," Yu said at a weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday.
Yu described former French foreign minister Roland Dumas' recent claims that some US$400 million in kickbacks attached to the Lafayette deal were funnelled into the coffers of Taiwan's ruling party in the 1990s as a valuable lead.
"Investigators assigned to probe the case have been ordered to follow up the lead and step up their investigation of possible suspects, regardless of whether they are political parties or individuals," Yu said.
Noting that five navy officers have been indicted for inflating the price of the frigates for the benefit of the vessels' French builder, Yu said the indictments prove the government's determination to obtain the whole truth in the case, regardless of who was involved.
Vice Minister of Justice Hsieh Wen-ding (謝文定) said Tuesday that prosecutors will contact the French and Swiss authorities with a view to verifying Dumas' allegations, but he added that he was not sure how long this will take in light of the absence of official ties with the two European nations.
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