Taipei prosecutors said Monday that they do not rule out the possibility of launching a new round of investigations into the Chung Hsing Bills Finance case, which was originally closed more than two years ago, a Chinese-language newspaper reported yesterday.
In the run-up to the March 2000 presidential election, the KMT filed a lawsuit against PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) -- a former KMT secretary-general -- for embezzling party funds totaling around NT$360 million and forging party seals to open bank accounts in the party's name without authorization.
In 2001, Taipei prosecutors decided not to indict Soong. The decision was made based on Soong's explanation that he was using the money to carry out special tasks ordered by then KMT chairman Lee Teng-hui (李登輝).
According to a front-page report in a Chinese-language newspaper yesterday, Taipei prosecutors may decide to further investigate the case after their recent interview with Lee, a key figure in the alleged scandal.
The report said that Lee denied many of Soong's allegations during the interview last week. He also clarified his role in the scandal in several respects.
Soong had told Taipei prosecutors that, during his term as both secretary-general of the KMT and chairman of the KMT-controlled Huahsia Investment Holding Company (
During the interview, Lee said that he knew nothing about these accounts, claiming that he never authorized Soong to open any accounts to handle special party tasks. He also said that he did not order Soong to hand over these accounts to his successor when Soong left his post, proving that he knew nothing about them.
Lee also said that a large amount of money -- including political donations made to the party and profits of the KMT-controlled Broadcasting Corporation of China (BCC, 中廣) -- was later transferred by Soong to about 20 private accounts.
Lee said that he never allowed Soong to transfer party funds to any private accounts, and that this would never have happened if he had known about it beforehand.
Lee admitted that he did approve Soong's suggestion of setting up a special account to take care of the family of the former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國). But he said that the limit of the special fund was about NT$26 million -- not more than NT$60 million, as Soong claimed.
Lee said that Soong was using the account for the Chiang family to divert people's attention.
Yesterday, Taipei District Prosecutors' Office spokesman Chen Hung-ta (
PFP legislator and spokesman Hwang Yih-jiau (
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS