The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus yesterday called on former premier Hao Po-tsun (郝柏村) and two other former military officials to make public their bank accounts in a bid to shed some light on the Lafayette kickback scandal.
The caucus also challenged the pan-blue opposition of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party caucuses against allowing prosecutors make public court files obtained from Switzerland.
They are believed to be related to the kickback scandal involving the procurement of six Lafayette-class frigates from France in 1991.
Claiming to have secured information from "concerned friends living overseas," DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) yesterday alleged that the KMT administration had signed a US$2.7 billion (NT$89 billion) deal with Thomson-CSF [now named Thales] on Aug. 30, 1991 and agreed on an 18 percent rate of commission, or about US$486 million.
Between 1992 and 1993, Gao said that Andrew Wang (汪傳浦), an agent for Thomson-CSF, received the US$486 million kickback and transferred US$120 million to his bank account in Luxemburg.
He then channeled US$40 million of the US$120 million to his own account and those of family members in Taiwan, US$20 million more to former captain Kuo Li-heng (郭力恆) and his elder brother Kuo Wen-tien (郭問天), and the remaining US$60 million to other countries.
As for the remaining US$366 million, Gao said that Wang distributed it to Chinese officials and agents involved in the deals.
Gao requested that Hao, Yeh Chang-tung (葉昌桐) and Yang Yun-ting (楊亭雲) offer an account of their roles in the deal and make public their bank accounts.
Hao was serving as chief of the general staff when the procurement plan was finalized in October 1989. Hao reportedly asked the Ministry of Defense to halt negotiations with South Korea before his trip to France in May 1989.
Yeh, then the commander-in-chief of the navy, allegedly bloated the unit price of the frigates from NT$8.39 billion (US$254 million) to NT$12.3 billion and then to the final figure of NT$15.1 billion.
Yang, a former director of the General Political Warfare Department under the Ministry of Defense, deferred the probe into the inflated price, while the ministry's Supreme Military Court took up the case in March 2000.
As the KMT has announced plans to establish a "clean government commission," Gao called on KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to place the frigate scandal at the top of its agenda.
DPP caucus whip William Lai (賴清德) said that he would like to know why three KMT lawmakers asked State Public Prosecutor-General Wu Ying-chao (吳英昭) at the legislature's Justice Committee to keep the lid on the files until after the Dec. 3 elections are over.
The three KMT lawmakers concerned are Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順), Huang Teh-fu (黃德福) and Lai Shyi-bao (賴士葆).
Wu last night ordered the inquiry taskforce to open the court files and start translation in order to avoid seeing the money in Wang's Swiss account unfrozen,
Swiss authorities requested that the Taiwan goverment claim the NT$23 billion (US$700 million) in Wang's bank account before the middle of next month or it will be unfrozen.
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
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