The premier appointed Minister without Portfolio Hsu Chih-hsiung (
The premier said the investigation would also focus on whether representative offices had mishandled the notarization of a certificate of appointment for Wang in Geneva in July 2001 and in London last month.
The ministry announced this week that it had decided to revoke the notarization claiming its issuance was not in Taiwan's national interest, just one day after ministry officials claimed the notarization was legally justifiable.
PHOTO: LIU HSIH-TEH, TAIPEI TIMES
Wang is a former arms dealer who has been wanted since September 2000 in connection with the murder of navy Captain Yin Ching-feng (
Yin is believed to have been killed as he was on the verge of breaking a huge scandal over military procurement concerning the US$2.8 billion purchase of six Lafayette-class frigates from France in 1991. The company that built the frigates is believed to have paid as much as US$400 million in bribes to officials in Taiwan.
Following days of inquiry into Chien's alleged ties with Wang, established in the 1980s when Chien was a lawmaker, PFP lawmaker Lee Ching-hua (
Lee claimed that Chien had helped Wang, at his request, to file questions in the legislature over several defense procurement cases in the 1980s, some of the details of which were cited indirectly in the published diary of Hau Pei-tsun (
Hau in the diary dubbed Chien as part of the "evil forces."
Lee reiterated a view expressed by military analyst Chang Yu-hua (
Lee also claimed Chien worked behind the scenes to facilitate the speedy issuance of the notarization to the fugitive by the Taiwan representative office in London on Feb. 5.
Chien denied Lee's allegation, saying: "What has just been said is total fiction and nonsense."
After Lee, in the chamber of the legislature, claimed Chien was lying and asked him to step down from his post -- a request echoed by two PFP lawmakers -- Premier Yu Shyi-kun said he would appoint a minister without portfolio to look into the matter.
Cabinet spokesman Lin Chia-lung (
During the afternoon session in the legislature, Chien was again cornered by opposition lawmakers, this time from the KMT, who asked Chien to explain whether Hau's remarks in his diary were true.
The foreign minister dubbed the lawmakers' remarks as "venomous slander" before lashing out at Hau.
Hau, as the chief of the general staff for eight years, was the man who really had power over the purchase of the Lafayette frigates.
Chien also denied he lobbied officials over the frigate purchase in his capacity then as the Environmental Protection Administration chief in 1989.
The minister's efforts to defend himself continued yesterday evening when he held a press conference at the ministry, denying everything his critics claimed while vowing to pursue legal action against Lee and Chang.
"I've never been involved in any lobbying related to the Lafayette frigate purchase," Chien said. "If any evidence indicates I was involved ... I'll be willing to step down and face judicial punishment."
Chien said his lawyer would send letters to both Lee and Chang demanding their formal apologies. if no apologies were forthcoming he would file suit against them both for defamation.
The PFP legislator had said he was willing to give up his privilege of immunity as a lawmaker so as to confront Chien in court.
Chien yesterday accepted the resignation of Chan Hsien-ching (
"I had no alternative but to accept his resignation," Chien said yesterday evening.
Chien denied the move was an attempt to sacrifice his underling so as to save his own post as minister.
At the press conference yesterday evening Chien showed slides of internal telegrams from the office in London as evidence to show he was in the dark when the office issued the notarization to Wang.
He also distributed copies of the legislative questions he had tabled in the 1980s over three defense procurement cases, which he claimed showed that far from advocating the purchase of foreign warships he had supported Taiwan's building its own vessels.
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