Prosecutors investigating former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) corruption and money laundering cases yesterday said they would not appeal a High Court ruling to unfreeze certain assets of the former first family.
In November, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s Special Investigation Panel (SIP) confirmed that it had requested the court to freeze NT$300 million (US$9 million) in bank accounts, stock holdings and real estate holdings of several members of the former president’s family.
The suspension of their accounts angered the wheelchair-bound former first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), who said the family’s monthly expenditures added up to about NT$300,000 because of her medical expenses. The family also owes legal fees to lawyers who are defending them in the corruption and money-laundering cases at the Taiwan High Court. The family then filed an appeal of the ruling in order to have their assets unfrozen.
About two weeks ago, the Taiwan High Court ruled in favor of Wu, ordering the SIP to free up more than NT$4.63 million in Wu’s bank account. Judges said they found Wu indeed needed to pay at least NT$120,000 a month for her living and medical expenses, and roughly NT$3.9 million in legal fees.
SIP spokesperson Chen Yun-nan (陳雲南) yesterday said: “Prosecutors respect the court’s decision. We will not appeal.”
The SIP previously argued that the former first family had enough money in the unfrozen accounts to sustain itself, with NT$5 million in unfrozen bank accounts and rental income from properties, insurance compensation and monthly stipends from Chen Shui-bian’s terms as president.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
RSS