Former minister of the interior Yu Cheng-hsien (余政憲), who was detained on Oct. 15 in relation to an investigation into allegations of corruption involving the former first family and the construction of the Nangang Exhibition Hall, was yesterday released from detention on NT$1 million (US$30,000) bail.
The Special Investigation Panel (SIP) at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office forwarded the bail request to the Taipei District Court a few days ago, but it took the court until yesterday morning to decide to release Yu on bail. The hearing lasted only 10 minutes.
“The judges agreed with prosecutors that there was no need to detain Yu any longer. So the request was granted,” Taipei District Court spokesman Huang Chun-min (黃俊明) said.
Huang said that Yu was barred from changing his place of residence or leaving the nation.
Yu was released after his defense counsel handed over the bond money. Outside the office, Yu bowed and apologized to the public.
“I assure you that I did not put a single penny of the public funds from the Nangang Exhibition Hall construction project into my own pocket,” Yu said. “I am forbidden by prosecutors from discussing any details of the case, but I can assure the public that I am innocent.”
While they decided to release Yu, prosecutors yesterday continued to interview former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Ma Yung-cheng (馬永成).
SIP Spokesman Chen Yun-nan (陳雲南) said that prosecutors needed Ma to provide more details on how he assisted former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) with his financial dealings.
Chen Yun-nan did not comment on whether prosecutors were considering releasing Ma.
Meanwhile, another group of prosecutors yesterday morning raided an unnamed bank. The raid was still ongoing as of press time yesterday and Chen Yun-nan would not confirm which bank it was or whether such a raid had taken place.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), whose latest meeting, concluded earlier the same day, appeared not to address the country’s application. In a statement, MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process Taiwan’s application," attributing the inaction to the bloc’s "succumbing to political pressure," without elaborating. Taiwan submitted its CPTPP application under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" on Sept. 22, 2021 -- less than a week after China
THE GOOD WORD: More than 100 colleges on both sides of the Pacific will work together to bring students to Taiwan so they can learn Mandarin where it is spoken A total of 102 universities from Taiwan and the US are collaborating in a push to promote Taiwan as the first-choice place to learn Mandarin, with seven Mandarin learning centers stood up in the US to train and support teachers, the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan (FICHET) said. At the annual convention of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages held over the weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana, a Taiwan Pavilion was jointly run by 17 representative teams from the FICHET, the Overseas Community Affairs Council, the Steering Committee for the Test of Proficiency-Huayu, the
A home-style restaurant opened by a Taiwanese woman in Quezon City in Metro Manila has been featured in the first-ever Michelin Guide honoring exceptional restaurants in the Philippines. The restaurant, Fong Wei Wu (豐味屋), was one of 74 eateries to receive a “Michelin Selected” honor in the guide, while one restaurant received two Michelin stars, eight received one star and 25 were awarded a “Bib Gourmand.” The guide, which was limited to restaurants in Metro Manila and Cebu, was published on Oct. 30. In an interview, Feng Wei Wu’s owner and chef, Linda, said that as a restaurateur in her 60s, receiving an
MORE RETALIATION: China would adopt a long-term pressure strategy to prevent other countries or future prime ministers following in Sanae Takaichi’s steps, an academic said Taiwan should maintain communications with Japan, as Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is to lead a revision of security documents, Taiwanese academics said yesterday. Tensions have risen between Japan and China over remarks by Takaichi earlier this month that the use of force against Taiwan would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan. Prospect Foundation president Lai I-chung (賴怡忠) yesterday said Takaichi’s stance regarding Taiwan is the same as past Japanese prime ministers, but her position is clearer than that of her predecessors Fumio Kishida and Shigeru Ishiba. Although Japan views a “Taiwan contingency” as a “survival-threatening situation,” which would allow its military to
RSS