The Tainan City Government yesterday filed for additional provisional seizures of NT$220 million (US$6.58 million) in assets and funds belonging to people under investigation in connection with the collapse of the Weiguan Jinlong residential complex, including developer Lin Ming-hui (林明輝) and architects Cheng Chin-kuei (鄭進貴) and Chang Kuei-pao (張魁寶).
The complex — built by now-defunct Weiguan Construction Co (維冠建設) — in the city’s Yongkang District (永康) claimed 114 lives after it collapsed when a magnitude 6.4 quake struck Tainan on Feb. 6. Prosecutors and city officials said Weiguang Construction workers should be held responsible for circumventing safety codes.
Lin — believed to be the former owner of Weiguan Construction — and the two architects were among nine people named in the city’s original NT$30 million provisional seizure request that the Tainan District Court granted, Tainan Department of Legal Affairs Director Siao Bo-ren (蕭博仁) said.
The city filed the previous provisional seizure request after consulting with relatives of the victims, with the new request made yesterday after the city obtained the support of 93 additional family members, Siao said.
Cheng’s wife yesterday tried to withdraw NT$10 million in cash from her husband’s Taishin International Bank (台新銀行) account, but the request was rejected.
Taishin International said that the desk clerk on duty was aware of the filing for provisional seizure by the city government through media reports and rejected the withdrawal request, adding that Cheng’s wife failed to produce a letter of authorization.
Cheng’s wife left the bank and did not return, the bank said.
Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) told the Central News Agency in an interview that he was alerted to the attempt by Cheng’s wife to withdraw funds and he called the branch manager immediately to ask the bank not to process the withdrawal.
Lai said that the seizures are aimed at preventing the developer and architects, who are suspected of having cut corners, elude liability by transferring their assets. The city government said it had notified banking institutions of the seizures and requested their cooperation with the courts.
In related news, Lai announced on social media the establishment of the 0206 Earthquake Combined Service Center, which is to be staffed by 12 local agencies and the National Taxation Bureau, to answer questions and provide assistance to victims of the disaster and their families, which can be reached by dialing 06-390-159.
The Tainan Social Affairs Bureau said it would provide one social worker for each family affected by the quake, adding that its earthquake relief fund had collected NT$538 million in donations to date.
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