Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) yesterday denied allegations that he just sat by despite knowing that then-Construction and Planning Agency director-general Yeh Shih-wen (葉世文) was suspected of receiving bribes from businesses about a year ago.
Jiang said in a statement that the accusations of “inaction” to the tip-offs about Yeh made against him by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) “were not the truth.”
Yeh has been detained since late last month on bribery charges in connection with a housing project involving Farglory Land Development Co (遠雄建設).
Yeh was Taoyuan County deputy commissioner at that time, but has since been fired.
Jiang said he decided that Yeh must be transferred to a non-supervisory position when he was tipped off by officials at the Ministry of Justice’s Agency Against Corruption in April last year that Yeh might be receiving illicit kickbacks.
Yeh declined the proposed job transfer and told then-minister of the interior Lee Hong-yuan (李鴻源) that he would rather opt for retirement if he could be allowed to retire on his scheduled date in July, Jiang said.
Yeh was then forced to retire one month earlier, “at my insistence,” Jiang said.
The DPP has accused Jiang of trying to cover up possible irregularities involving Yeh by forcing him to resign rather than referring him for investigation, to which Jiang said that it was “in the public’s interests” that Yeh retire earlier.
Jiang said he did not tell Lee why Yeh had to retire early when Lee asked him about it because he was told by Minister of Justice Luo Ying-shay (羅瑩雪) to keep a low profile, lest the ongoing investigation into the allegations against Yeh be leaked.
At that time, prosecutors had already begun investigating, Jiang said, dismissing the accusation that he tried to cover up Yeh’s alleged corrupt practices.
Jiang said he first heard about controversies surrounding Yeh in 2011, when he was minister of the interior, after receiving unsigned letters saying that Yeh often went drinking and socializing and that Yeh always asked his subordinates to pay his bills.
Ethics officials at the ministry closed the case without finding any irregularities involving Yeh at that time, but he then asked the officials to keep a close eye on Yeh, Jiang said, adding that he also called Yeh in to his office to demand better discipline.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese