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Taiwan Quick Take: Heat on DPP councilor

Prosecutors took a Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City councilor and two of his aides into custody yesterday over reports of extortion from a number of construction companies between 2002 and 2004. Before questioning Councilor Lo Tsung-sheng (羅宗勝), the prosecutors searched six locations, including his office and home, as well as the homes of the two aides. Owners of construction companies have alleged they were forced to pay some NT$20 million (US$611,000) to Lo to keep him from reporting unlawful dumping of construction waste. They claim Lo and his aides used their access to files at the maintenance office of the city's public works department to obtain information about companies found to have been dumping construction waste. Lo and his aides allegedly would then demand money from the companies and threaten to blow the whistle on them if they did not cooperate. The firms have claimed that Lo would "borrow" the money from them by writing checks to them for the amount he "borrowed," but the checks would always bounce.

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