The supervisory board of Deutsche Post AG on Monday picked Frank Appel to lead the mail and global logistics company after his predecessor resigned last week amid a growing tax evasion investigation that has gripped Germany.
The board said it unanimously appointed the 46-year-old to replace Zumwinkel, and that his contract would run through Oct. 31, 2012. Appel's appointment is immediate.
Zumwinkel's contact was set to end in November.
Appel has been a member of the company's management board since 2002 and had overseen the company's logistics and international mail business.
The company also agreed to extend the contract of chief financial officer John Allan, who had also been a likely contender for the top job, by two years until 2010.
Zumwinkel's home was raided on Thursday by police and tax investigators, with television cameras in tow, and prosecutors said he was suspected of evading more than 1 million euros (US$1.5 million) in taxes through investments in Liechtenstein -- allegations that came as part of a probe of suspected tax evaders.
More raids were conducted across the country yesterday ahead a visit by Prime Minister Otmar Hasler of Liechtenstein.
Meanwhile, Crown Prince Alois accused Germany yesterday of launching an attack on the Liechtenstein's sovereignty by paying an informer for bank details in the tax fraud probe.
"Germany has clearly failed to understand how one behaves towards a friendly state. We are a small country and we want good relations with our neighbours but we are also a sovereign state," the prince told a press conference aired on German television.
"Germany will not solve its problems with its tax payers by attacking Liechtenstein. Germany has the worst tax system in the world," he said.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS