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 (
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
RSS