A growing number of architects and construction company owners islandwide are finding themselves in legal trouble over suspected shoddy construction leading to the collapse of buildings during the 921 earthquake.
A total of 108 builders and architects have been arrested or are under investigation on counts of manslaughter or endangering public safety, according to a report released by the Ministry of Justice yesterday.
The report includes 12 people arrested, 40 released on bail and 56 restricted from leaving the country.
Among them, 69 individuals or firms have had their assets frozen.
The prosecutors are working to establish responsibility and plan to file indictments within one month, said Tseng Yung-fu (
Investigations are being conducted by Taipei, Panchiao, Taoyuan, Taichung, Nantou, Changhua and Yunlin district prosecutors' offices.
Two chief prosecutors from the Taichung office launched a field investigation yesterday in earthquake-stricken areas to determine the cause of collapses. Accompanied by experts from the Central Geological Survey, the prosecutors will examine damaged buildings in Fengyuan, Tung-shih, Taiping and other disaster areas.
The investigation is aimed at determining whether the collapsed buildings sit directly on fault lines, and whether negligence contributed to the collapses.
Meanwhile, a Taichung prosecutor has asked the residents of a collapsed building in the Golden Paris (
Prosecutor Hsu Wan-hsiang (
The prosecutors have no right themselves to seize his assets, Hsu said.
Hsu had also notified relevant land administration and financial institutions to prevent Chang from selling his assets. Hsu also called for him to return to Taiwan and face legal action.
Builders of two other collapsed buildings in Tali City have submitted more than NT$3 billion worth of land, bank deposits, and other assets to the court as a pledge of accountability.
Shoddy construction is blamed for the collapse of many buildings across Taiwan during the quake. Relatively new buildings toppled over in Taipei city and county, where the 921 quake registered a magnitude 4.0 on the Richter scale.
In Yunlin County, investigators had discovered three toppled buildings built with empty oil containers used as filler to save on concrete and bricks.
Taiwan's earthquake-resistant building codes only came into effect in 1982, and experts say they have been enforced too laxly since that time.
"If you have 51 fault lines running across your country, you need to be more careful about building," said Hideo Ishikawa, a civil engineer from Osaka who came to Taiwan to assist after the quake.
An investigation team from the California-based risk management firm EQE attributed much of the damages to "soft stories" -- mostly ground floor stories where shear walls are replaced by large plate-glass windows -- and the use of watery concrete.
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