The government has expressed concern to the government of Kiribati over unaccounted for aid of about A$1.7 million (US$1.48 million) meant for the procurement of a landing craft and has demanded an explanation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Anna Kao (高安) said yesterday.
According to Radio New Zealand International, Ambassador to Kiribati Abraham Chu (朱文祥) said the embassy could not understand why South Tarawa did not have a new landing craft in operation months after it received the money from Taipei to purchase the boat until earlier this month when the Kiribati Independent published a report about the issue.
The report quoted Kiribati government officials as saying that the money was “stolen” because it was wired to an overseas account, apparently not that of the manufacturer of the boat and that “there was nothing the [Kiribati] government can do.”
Kiribati police are investigating the case, the officials said.
“It is shocking for us, of course,” Chu told New Zealand’s public broadcaster in an interview aired yesterday.
Chu said Taiwan donated the money for Kiribati to buy a landing craft to improve its inter-island transportation and had expected to see the boat in operation in July when the Pacific Ocean country celebrated its Independence Day.
The embassy has been trying to get information from the Kiribati government, as it had not received a progress report on the project, but it had not received a response from the government until now, Chu said.
“I was told that the minister in charge was based on Christmas Island and we tried to contact him, but still we couldn’t get a clear picture, so we are still waiting to see what we can do to fix the problem,” he said.
Chu said he has requested a meeting with Kiribati President Anote Tong, who is on an overseas trip, after he returns to the country later this month to try to solve the problem.
There could be some problems within the the government of Kiribati, Kao said.
Kao said Taiwan presented a check as a donation in January at a ceremony in South Tarawa in the presence of local media.
Kiribati received the funds properly and in full, Kao said.
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