The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday called on Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) to publicize his finances and explain an increase in personal assets.
The past week has seen the KMT repeatedly question DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) finances, accusing her of engaging in land speculation. The DPP has responded by publicizing Tsai’s personal assets, and yesterday challenged Chu to do the same.
“Chu should follow Tsai’s example and make public his campaign finances, as well as explain changes in his personal property declarations,” DPP spokesperson Ruan Jhao-syong (阮昭雄) told a news conference at party headquarters. “Chu should not dodge this question.”
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Ruan said that from 1999 to 2000, after factoring in Chu’s salary as a lawmaker, as well as revenue from stocks and securities that he had declared, “there is still as much as NT$17.39 million [US$527,769] in unexplained income.”
From 2002 to 2003, there was an increase of NT$8.48 million in Chu’s property declaration from an unknown source, Ruan said.
“From 2010 to 2011, Chu reported two new real-estate properties with a total estimated value of NT$27.77 million, but his cash holding decreased by only a little more than NT$1 million,” Ruan said. “We wonder how he paid for those purchases?”
Chu should explain to the public these suspicious changes in his property declarations, Ruan said.
“He should explain how he was able to accumulate so much wealth as two or three generations of his family only served as public servants,” Ruan added.
DPP Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said that while the New Taipei City mayor has always insisted that his property declarations were made according to the law, he has never responded when asked about them in the city council or by reporters.
Chen also urged Chu to make public details of his campaign finances, and explain whether the KMT has allocated part of its party assets to support his campaign.
“Tsai has made public her campaign financial statements in September and earlier this month; Chu should do the same,” Chen said.
Ruan also addressed former KMT legislator Chiu Yi’s (邱毅) latest allegations that Tsai, along with her brother, and seafood restaurant chain Hai Pa Wang (海霸王) president Chuang Jung-te (莊榮德), were involved in land speculation, purchasing several plots of land in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) in 1993.
Ruan said that people making “baseless” allegations should be prepared to face legal consequences.
“Tsai focused on teaching or serving in government after returning to Taiwan with a [doctoral] degree [from the UK], and has declared all her personal properties according to the law,” Ruan said.
“The so-called additional plots of land the KMT mentioned today [yesterday] do not belong to Tsai. If [the KMT] continues to make up baseless allegations, it will have to face its legal responsibility,” Ruan added.
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