A request to investigate alleged violations by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) during his time as Taipei mayor in the Taipei Dome case was made in accordance with legal procedures, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday, adding that the Presidential Office’s allegation that the move was politically motivated was false.
The Taipei Clean Government Committee on Monday said it would forward the case to the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and request it to investigate Ma’s and former Taipei Department of Finance commissioner Lee Such-der’s (李述德) alleged corruption and the illegal gains made by Taipei Dome contractor Farglory Group.
“Let us see if you dare protect [Ma] after the elections. This is a test for the ministry,” committee member Cheng Wen-long (鄭文龍) said.
Photo: Chien Jung-feng, Taipei Times
The ministry in June last year rejected the committee’s request to investigate the case, saying it was responsible for judicial administrative work, rather than allegations.
Presidential Office spokesman Charles Chen (陳以信) yesterday criticized Ko, who is the head of the committee.
“Mayor Ko is at it again,” he said, adding that the committee accusing Ma of malpractice constitutes a “very serious allegation” in a democracy.
Chen said he had doubts over the committee’s handling of the case, saying the committee passed it to the ministry to avoid any potential legal liability it might face for making false accusations.
If Ko really thinks that Ma is guilty, Ko should ask prosecutors and relevant agencies to investigate the case, Chen said.
Ko said the committee forwarded the case to the ministry, as well as to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office and the Special Investigation Division.
“We will act in accordance with the law and do whatever needs to be done. I do not have any preconceived notions about it,” he said.
Ko said the committee’s decision was similar to the incident involving Taiwanese K-pop singer Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), who was allegedly forced by her South Korean management company to apologize late Friday for waving a Republic of China flag on a South Korean TV show.
Many believe that helped drum up votes for the Democratic Progressive Party’s Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in Saturday’s presidential election and contributed partly to the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) electoral defeat.
Ko said that both incidents were unplanned, but had major implications for politics.
Asked whether his reticence after the elections was to dodge questions about a perceived “rivalry” with Tsai, Ko said it was because he caught a cold and told reporters not to “assume too much.”
Ko said he met with Tsai’s delegate the day after the elections and talked about possible ways of collaboration, adding that his administration would “fully support Tsai.”
Regarding the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) request that Tsai appoint a new premier to form a Cabinet during transitional period before Ma steps down in May 20, Ko said that such a proposal would require the entitlement of legislative rights to approve a premier candidate and therefore requires an amendment to the Constitution.
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