Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and his wife Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) may face a second round of indictments, prosecutors said yesterday.
The Special Investigation Panel (SIP) plans to question the former president on whether he accepted bribes from former Taipei Financial Center Corp chairwoman Diana Chen (陳敏薰) and former Chinatrust Financial Holding Co vice chairman Jeffrey Koo Jr (辜仲諒).
Prosecutors say that Diana Chen gave the former first lady NT$10 million (US$300,000) in exchange for her seat as president of Grand Cathay Securities Corp (大華證券).
‘POLITICAL DONATION’
While both Wu and Diana Chen admitted to the money transaction, both denied it was bribery and said the money was a form of “political donation.”
Last month, when Diana Chen was summoned to give her testimony at the Taipei District Court, she told the court that she wanted to make a contribution to the country by donating money to the Democratic Progressive Party through Wu.
Koo is suspected of illegally giving the former first family as much as NT$300 million.
Prosecutors say that the former president used election campaign funds and classified foreign relations as excuses to ask Koo for donations that the former president and his wife then pocketed. This may constitute influence peddling, a charge that may be added to the original charges of embezzlement, corruption, forgery and other crimes, prosecutors said.
RELEASE
Meanwhile, Presiding Judge Tsai Shou-hsun (蔡守訓) has scheduled a hearing on Thursday to decide if Chen Shui-bian will remain incarcerated at the Taipei Detention Center where he is being held. Prosecutors have said it is necessary to jail the former president to prevent him from colluding with witnesses or absconding.
SIP spokesperson Chen Yun-nan (陳雲南) said prosecutors would request that the former president remain in detention because “the reasons for detention still apply.”
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said that private-sector refiners are willing to stop buying Russian naphtha should the EU ask them to, after a group of non-governmental organizations, including the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), criticized the nation’s continued business with the country. While Taiwan joined the US and its Western allies in putting broad sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, it did not explicitly ban imports of naphtha, a major hard-currency earner for Russia. While state-owned firms stopped importing Russian oil in 2023, there is no restriction on private companies to
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
RSS