When the presidential election is over, former president Lee Teng-hui (
"Lee was the president of the country at the time. We need his answers to some of our questions," said Huang Jiunn-ming (黃俊明), the district court spokesman.
Huang said that the case is now being handled by presiding judge Liao Wen-yu (
PHOTO: LUO PEI-TEH, TAIPEI TIMES
When approached by reporters yesterday, Lee said that he would be more than happy to tell the judges everything he knows.
"It is not a bad thing to be summoned. Of course I will go," Lee said.
It will be Lee's second appearance in a court hearing of this nature. On Nov. 12 last year he testified in the hearing about the Zanadau investment scandal.
In addition to Lee, the court is also planning to summon former minister of foreign affairs Jason Hu (
The NSB scandal started with the disappearance in 1994 of US$4.5 million from a secret fund of US$10.58 million to secure diplomatic relations with South Africa. According to prosecutors' investigation, the bureau paid the money to South Africa on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in May 1994.
On April 4, 1999, the ministry returned a total of US$10.7 million, including interest, to the NSB. The buereau's former chief accountant, Hsu Ping-chiang (徐炳強), allegedly asked former chief cashier Liu Kuan-chun (劉冠軍) to deposit US$7.5 million in the Taiwan Research Institute's bank account.
Liu Kuan-chun is suspected of embezzling more than NT$192 million from the total amount. According to the Bureau of Investigation, he left Taiwan on Sept. 3, 2000, and went to Shanghai. He surfaced in Bangkok in January 2002 and then went to North America. Sources say that he is now in Canada.
On Nov. 17 last year, the Taipei Prosecutors' Office charged Hsu and Liu Kuan-chun with corruption and asked the court for a sentence of 15 years for Hsu and 12 years for Liu.
Liu Tai-ying had allegedly wired the money to Yin's bank accounts in the US and Singapore. Yin then allegedly wired the money to one of Ruentex's bank accounts in Taiwan, after which he "donated" US$3 million of it to the Taiwan Research Institute.
According to Hsu's testimony, he had acted on orders from former NSB secretary-general Yin Tsung-wen (殷宗文). The initial order allegedly came from Lee.
Ting took Yin Tsung-wen's position after he retired. However, Yin Tsung-wen died of adenocarcinoma, a kind of lung cancer, on March 28 last year.
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
Taipei is to implement widespread road closures around Taipei 101 on Friday to make way for large crowds during the Double Ten National Day celebration, the Taipei Department of Transportation said. A four-minute fireworks display is to be launched from the skyscraper, along with a performance by 500 drones flying in formation above the nearby Nanshan A21 site, starting at 10pm. Vehicle restrictions would occur in phases, they said. From 5pm to 9pm, inner lanes of Songshou Road between Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101 are to be closed, with only the outer lanes remaining open. Between 9pm and 9:40pm, the section is
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday hosted a reception to celebrate Double Ten National Day. Conservative Canadian lawmaker Marc Dalton called Taiwan a “beacon of courage and resilience in the face of rising authoritarianism,” according to a post on the Taiwan in Vancouver Facebook page. Also in attendance were fellow conservative caucus members Tako Van Popta and Chak Au, who said that Taiwan plays an “indispensable role” in ensuring global peace, prosperity and stability due to its strategic position in the Indo-Pacific region, it said. Canadian lawmaker Michael Cooper also recorded a message wishing Taiwan a
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