Prosecutors yesterday sought to detain property developer Lin Ming-hui (林明輝) and two associates after summoning them for questioning related to the collapsed Weiguan Jinlong complex in Tainan’s Yongkang District (永康) following Saturday’s magnitude 6.4 earthquake.
The Tainan District Court was reviewing the request at press time last night.
The 17-story complex — which consisted of four buildings divided into nine residential sections — has been the main source of casualties from Saturday’s earthquake.
Photo: Kuo An-chia, Taipei Times
More than 200 people have been rescued from the complex, but at least 100 are still unaccounted for.
Empty oil cans exposed inside some supporting pillars have raised questions about whether builders used shoddy materials or cut corners during the construction process.
Media reports have said that Lin — who served as board chairman of the now-defunct contractor Weiguan Construction Co (維冠建設) — had declared bankruptcy and changed his name several times.
Photo: Annie Ho, AP
Government records show that a construction license was issued in 1992 and the Weiguan Jinlong complex was completed in 1994.
In 1999, Weiguan Construction applied to temporarily cease operations and its business registration was canceled in 2013.
Aside from the Weiguan Jinlong complex, the firm had constructed two other major complexes in Yongkang.
While prosecutors and police have been tight-lipped about the case, they do not deny that an investigation has been launched into whether human factors played a role in the collapse of the complex, including whether it might have been a “tofu dregs” building, whose inferior building materials made it unstable.
“Tofu dregs” refer to the mash of insoluble pulp left behind after pureed soybeans are filtered to make tofu.
Sources said that Lin, along with two company officials, surnamed Chang (張) and Cheng (鄭), turned themselves in on Monday night after being summoned by the Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office to answer questions of whether they were guilty of professional negligence leading to death or other criminal responsibility.
Prosecutors applied for the three men’s detention because of concern that they might collude on their testimonies.
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