Control Yuan member Yeh Yao-peng (葉耀鵬) yesterday said he will proceed with his probe into the case of Yu Chang Biologics Co, even though prosecutors announced this week that they have decided to close the case involving former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) as no criminal wrong-doing was uncovered.
Yeh said he will go ahead with his plan as scheduled to subpoena individuals involved in the case, including Tsai and DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).
Yu Chang is now called TaiMed Biologics Inc.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Special Investigation Division (SID) closed its investigation into the case and cleared Tsai of any wrongdoing.
In late November last year, ahead of the Jan. 14 presidential election, Tsai, then the DPP’s presidential candidate, was accused by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) of manipulating investments by the National Development Fund (NDF) in TaiMed when she was vice premier in 2007. Su was premier at the time.
Yeh said it remains necessary to clarify if there had been any administrative irregularities.
The Control Yuan identified issues to be cleared up, including whether the use of the NDF for Yu Chang was in accordance with statutory procedures and whether Tsai abided by the conflict-of-interest policies set forth in the Civil Servants Work Act (公務員服務法) in her dealings with the case.
KMT Legislator Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) said she did not consider that a probe by the Control Yuan into the case necessary because “judicial review had brought it to an end.”
DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said the moves were driven by political motives.
“The SID has proved that Tsai was innocent and now the Control Yuan and the KMT want to drag Chairman Su down,” Tsai said.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS