Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津) yesterday asked the National Communications Commission (NCC) to reject Broadcasting Corp of China’s (BCC) application to reduce its capital, saying it would help funnel funds to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
The BBC, the nation’s largest radio network, was owned by the KMT. Due to a government policy banning government, political parties and the military from investing in the media, which took effect in 2005, the KMT sold its shares in BCC to Rongli Investment Co, which was then owned by the China Times Group.
The investment company sold its shares in BCC to four different companies in 2006, which were reported to all be affiliated with political commentator Jaw Shao-kong (趙少康). Jaw has close ties with the pan-blue camp, having run for a seat in the Taipei City Council as a KMT member and for Taipei mayor under the banner of the New Party.
Last year, the BCC proposed setting up an asset management firm to manage property it inherited through the transaction.
The BCC is to reduce its capital by about 81 percent to NT$600 million (US$18.25 million).
Yeh said in a question-and-answer session that the KMT still maintains control over the BCC’s assets, even after the four firms purchased the radio network. Showing a party asset report published by the KMT, Yeh said an investment firm set up by the party remains the creditor of the BCC’s assets, valued at NT$4.7 billion, which would be paid until the BCC’s asset management firm is established.
Yeh also said that Jaw had co-signed a check for NT$5.5 billion with the KMT to conclude the transaction, using BCC shares as a pledge to the KMT or a third party designated by the party. The KMT can assign people to serve as board directors of the BCC and the party reserves the right to approve or disapprove loans of more than NT$10 million that the radio network intends to secure, Yeh said.
Such details show that the radio network did not follow the government policy requiring government, political parties and the military to withdraw from media operations, she added.
Yeh said that the BCC used to have three board directors who are affiliated with the KMT. Fearing these illegal party assets might be discovered by the incoming government, the party sought to quickly replace these board directors with others to meet requirements of the law.
She said that the BCC inherited all of the equipment that it uses from the Japanese colonial government, which should belong to everyone, adding that the commission would give the people’s money back to the KMT should it agree to the BCC’s proposal.
NCC Chairman Howard Shyr (石世豪) said the trust deed between the KMT and the four companies that purchased the BCC was not an item subject to review when the commission ruled on the transaction, adding that some NCC commissioners had expressed doubts on this particular issue.
Shyr also said that the Ministry of Transportation and Communications has sought to reclaim ownership of the property the BCC owns through administrative lawsuits.
The ministry has sought additional compensation from the radio network for illegally profiting from using these properties all these years, he added.
“The ministry has indicated that if we allow the BCC to set up a separate asset management firm and reduce the company’s capital, it would consequently affect the prosecution of claims on the illegal profits gained from using the properties,” he said. “Our attitude is the same as the ministry’s.”
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
EVA Airways, one of the leading international carriers in Taiwan, yesterday said that it was investigating reports that a cabin crew manager had ignored the condition of a sick flight attendant, who died on Saturday. The airline made the statement in response to a post circulating on social media that said that the flight attendant on an outbound flight was feeling sick and notified the cabin crew manager. Although the flight attendant grew increasingly ill on the return flight, the manager did not contact Medlink — a system that connects the aircraft to doctors on the ground for treatment advice during medical
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of