The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday summoned two of independent Taipei mayoral candidate Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) colleagues when he was working at National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) as part of its investigation into corruption allegations.
Liu Ju-yi (劉如意), the administrative secretary of the hospital’s surgical intensive care unit (SICU) team, was summoned by prosecutors to testify on corruption, tax evasion, and money laundering allegations made by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) and former KMT legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅).
Another of Ko’s former colleagues, Tsai Pi-ju (蔡璧如), the director of the hospital’s extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) team, was also questioned by prosecutors.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
Lo has alleged that as the head of the SICU team, Ko set up two public accounts under the name “MG149,” as well as a private SICU account shared by all team members, and used the accounts for taking bribes, money laundering and tax evasion.
Earlier in the week, Chiu also alleged that ECMO manufacturers had wired hundreds of thousands of New Taiwan dollars into the SICU account as donations.
The investigation is still in the initial phase and Liu, who is in charge of the SICU account, was questioned as a witness, not a defendant, the prosecutors’ office said.
After questioning, Lin, her face covered by a hat and a surgical mask, did not answer questions from the media and left quickly in a cab.
At a separate setting, Ko’s campaign executive director, Yao Li-ming (姚立明), reiterated that all bank accounts related to Ko are “clean.”
He said that Ko has nothing to hide and welcomes investigation by the judiciary.
“I really hope that details of the more than 400 accounts related to the NTUH can all be publicized, so that the public can see how clean Ko’s MG149 account is,” Yao said. “Ko has nothing to hide, because the management of the MG149 account follows strict regulations.”
“We also hope that the judiciary can quickly finish investigating the allegations,” he added.
Yao also rebutted a report by the Chinese-language Next Magazine last week, which said that Tsai met with the campaign team to discuss how to answer questions from reporters and prosecutors if they are asked about the accounts.
“They had a discussion, but there was no collusion [as the magazine alleged],” Yao said. “Tsai actually said that [anyone questioned by the media or prosecutor] should just tell the truth, but the report did not include that part.”
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
RSS