Prosecutors and officials from the Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau officials yesterday raided dozens of locations and detained 11 suspects for questioning as part of a corruption probe into the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) shipbuilding program.
Several coast guard officials are alleged to have colluded with contractors in a NT$10 billion (US$301.4 million at current exchange rates) project to build eight patrol boats.
Two of the ships have already been built by Kaohsiung-based Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Corp (中信造船集團) and commissioned into service, the Tainan CG126 (台南艦) in 2011 and the Xinbei CG127 (新北艦).
Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Administration
However, it has been alleged that the ships’ decks are not strong enough to support helicopters landings, contrary to contract specifications calling for the vessels to have helipads.
CGA offices in Taipei, New Taipei City and Kaohsiung were searched, including the CGA Maritime Patrol Directorate-General in New Taipei’s Tamsui District (淡水), as well as private residences.
Those detained include Jong Shyn officials; Huang Kan-fu (黃淦甫), a former deputy director of the Maritime Patrol Directorate-General; Wu Juei-hsiang (吳瑞祥), a former head of the CGA’s Supervision and Construction division; and Huang Han-sung (黃漢松), a former head of the CGA’s Shipping Services Office.
The two Huangs and Wu were the key officials in charge of Tainan CG126’s, the first of the boats to be contracted to the Kaohsiung shipbuilder.
The project to replace the CGA’s older vessels and strengthen its maritime patrol force began in 2007, with Jong Shyn securing a contract to build the 2,000-tonne ships, which were to have helipads capable of handling AS-365N Dauphin helicopters and UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters that are part of the nation’s search-and-rescue fleet.
However, the crews of the Tainan CG126 and Xinbei CG127 discovered that the decks could not accommodate the helicopters.
The CGA is suspected of covering up the problem until President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) inquired about the helipads, after which measures were taken to remedy the issue.
Investigators said the Ministry of the Interior division responsible for civilian search-and-rescue missions only contacted the CGA to request approval licenses and safety inspections of the helipads after the two ships were commissioned and had begun their service, contrary to standard procedure.
The suspects were taken for questioning at the Taipei Shilin Prosecutors’ Office. Prosecutors said they could be charged with violating the Anti-Corruption Act (貪汙治罪條例) and the Government Procurement Act (政府採購法).
Responding to allegations of shoddy construction of the two boats, Jong Shyn employees said the original design of the boats had no helipad and that it was added later by the CGA.
Additional reporting by CNA
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