Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) yesterday accused Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of receiving donations from former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) via Huang Fang-yen (黃芳彥), the former first family’s physician, who has been accused of playing a role in the family’s corruption.
Chiu, second on the New Party’s legislator-at-large candidate list, held a joint press conference with KMT Legislator Alex Tsai (蔡正元), accusing Tsai Ing-wen of receiving illegal political donations totaling NT$450 million (US$13.37 million).
Chiu alleged that according to a witness surnamed Lin (林), during the New Taipei City mayoral election in 2010 Tsai Ing-wen received NT$50 million from Huang and that the DPP received NT$200 million from Huang during the 2014 nine-in-one local elections.
Another NT$200 million had been donated to Tsai Ing-wen this year, he added.
“Huang is responsible for managing Chen and his wife’s graft money hidden away overseas, which includes savings, cash, diamonds and real estate,” Chiu said, adding that the money given to the DPP was so that Huang could buy his way back to Taiwan.
Alex Tsai accused the Special Investigation Division (SID) of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office of leaking the information, saying that soon after Lin mentioned the donations, Huang was informed about the matter and so was one of Tsai Ing-wen’s close advisers.
He said that Lin has talked to him and Chiu, and that the conversation was recorded.
He called on the SID to protect the witness, as “if anything happens to the witness,” the recording would be made public, “which would make the headlines in global media.”
In response, DPP Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said the duo’s “revelation” was based on a report in the China Times Weekly in May, 2012, which had been denied by Huang’s brother.
“Last month, a China Times Weekly reporter called [DPP spokesperson] Wang Min-sheng (王閔生) and said she was informed by a source that the DPP had received a NT$500 million political donation and claimed the source was SID Director Kuo Wen-tung (郭文東),” Chen said.
“The next day, [the DPP], considering the matter raised by the reporter might involve inappropriate leaking of information, called Kuo for confirmation. Kuo said the the SID had questioned the individual, who had written a letter about the donation, but found the person to be speaking ‘incoherently,’” Chen Chi-mai said. “[The SID] concluded the information was of little value.”
Additional reporting by Chen Yu-hsuan and Chien Chung-li
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