Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu-yi (邱毅) yesterday accused Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Ma Yung-cheng (馬永成) of being involved in two syndicates which he said had embezzled billions of dollars from investors.
Chiu made the remarks in a press conference at the legislature, where dozens of people said that they had been deceived into investing in projects set up by the syndicates.
"Chen Yu-shen (
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Investments
Chiu said that Lu had publicly endorsed Chen's investment projects, encouraging investors to back Chen's firms.
"Lu appealed to the investors saying that he had a very strong supporter in the Presidential Office. The `supporter' he referred to was Ma," Chiu said.
Chiu said that prosecutors had indicted Chen Yu-shen, who was then running the Futung Group (阜東集團), on fraud charges and racketeering in 2003, recommending a 14-year jail term, but that a verdict hadn't been reached until now.
"It was all because of Ma's intervention," Chiu said.
"Ma's illegal lobbying regarding Chen Yu-shen's lawsuit gave him another opportunity to embezzle more money from investors of Chant World International Co," Chiu said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Chen Chin-jun (
"Otherwise Chiu should resign from his legislative seat and take responsibility for his libelous comments," Chen Chin-jun said after attending a weekly meeting of the Presidential Office and the DPP legislative caucus.
Chiu also said that DPP Legislator Hsu Jung-shu (
Hsu denied this, saying she was also a victim.
Chiu last week accused Ma of other misconduct, such as being involved in stock speculation with other DPP officials.
"This week will be Ma's week," Chiu said, adding that he would expose more scandals related to Ma in the coming days.
Ma issued a statement late yesterday afternoon denying any knowledge of or connection to the people Chiu mentioned.
First lady
Meanwhile, Presidential Office Secretary-General Mark Chen (陳唐山) yesterday told Chiu and another opposition legislator to step down or face a defamation lawsuit for falsely accusing President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) and Ma.
KMT Legislator Lee Chuan-chiao (
The Presidential Office said it would file a slander suit against Lee, while Ma said he would not rule out filing a suit against KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (
Mark Chen said that Lee and Chiu should produce evidence to prove their allegations.
"It is no longer a legal issue, but has become a political problem," Mark Chen said. "It is regrettable to see irresponsible politicians shamefully holding on to their positions after repeatedly making groundless allegations, and to see the public and media tolerate this behavior."
Lee asked the Presidential Office to make public the numbers of the Sogo Department Store gift coupons which he said Wu had used.
Mark Chen said it was impossible to produce them because the first lady had not accepted them in the first place. He said the administration welcomed and was not afraid of constructive criticism and stringent scrutiny, but that any criticism must be based on facts.
Meanwhile, a group of young DPP legislators yesterday asked the Presidential Office to offer a concrete explanation for the recent accusations of corruption against Presidential Office officials. They also said that more than half of DPP legislators had agreed to the establishment of a legislative committee to monitor corruption
DPP Legislators Shen Fa-hui (
Taiwanese scientists have engineered plants that can capture about 50 percent more carbon dioxide and produce more than twice as many seeds as unmodified plants, a breakthrough they hope could one day help mitigate global warming and grow more food staples such as rice. If applied to major food crops, the new system could cut carbon emissions and raise yields “without additional equipment or labor costs,” Academia Sinica researcher and lead author the study Lu Kuan-jen (呂冠箴) said. Academia Sinica president James Liao (廖俊智) said that as humans emit 9.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide compared with the 220 billion tonnes absorbed
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
China’s plan to deploy a new hypersonic ballistic missile at a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) base near Taiwan likely targets US airbases and ships in the western Pacific, but it would also present new threats to Taiwan, defense experts said. The New York Times — citing a US Department of Defense report from last year on China’s military power — on Monday reported in an article titled “The missiles threatening Taiwan” that China has stockpiled 3,500 missiles, 1.5 times more than four years earlier. Although it is unclear how many of those missiles were targeting Taiwan, the newspaper reported
RSS