Taipei prosecutors filed a request to detain former minister of the interior Yu Cheng-hsien (余政憲) on suspicion of corruption after he was detained at Kaohsiung Airport as he tried to leave for Macau yesterday.
Judges were still considering the request at press time.
Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office Spokesman Lin Chin-chun (林錦村) said that prosecutors had barred Yu from leaving the country on Tuesday after they listed him as a defendant and summoned him over alleged corruption concerning the construction of Taipei’s Nangang Convention Center.
PHOTO: CNA
Prosecutors suspect that the Rich Group colluded with government officials over a large number of bids for major construction projects. Yu allegedly has a close relationship with the group.
Lin said that Yu was planning to fly to Macau with three friends yesterday morning. After he was stopped by the police, one friend decided to stay with him while the other two went to Macau.
Lin said that Yu seemed unaware that he had been barred from leaving the country. He was escorted to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office and after two hours of questioning, prosecutors applied to detain him.
“He [Yu] was heavily involved in the [Nangang] project and we are afraid he might collude with other potential defendants in the case,” Lin said.
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