Prosecutors wrapped up their investigation into the building collapse disaster in Tainan by bringing charges of professional negligence causing death against five suspects, including the main figure in the case, developer Lin Ming-hui (林明輝), and the two architects in charge of building design and carrying out the construction.
Officials at the Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said the five suspects were responsible for the disaster on Feb. 6, in which the Weiguan Jinlong residential complex collapsed during an earthquake, leaving 115 people dead and 96 injured, and they are requesting the maximum sentence.
In addition to the 64-year-old Lin, the others charged were Cheng Chin-kuei (鄭進貴), 63, and Chang Kuei-pao (張魁寶), 63, the building’s architects, along with Hung Hsian-han (洪仙汗), 58, head of the building design division at Lin’s company, and Cheng Tung-hsu (鄭東旭), 52, a structural design technician hired for the building project.
Photo: CNA
Lin and the two architects, who have been detained without bail since Feb. 9, were transferred to the custody of the Tainan District Court after yesterday’s indictment, and the court judge is to decide at a bail hearing whether to continue to detain them.
Prosecutors said Lin and Hung made shortcuts and alterations during the project’s design and construction process with the aim of cutting expenditure, and also skimmed on building materials, which affected the structural safety and stability of the residential complex.
The indictment statement alleged that Lin and Hung did not follow proper construction procedures and reduced the amount of steel rebar and connecting bars, as well as the diameter of the pillars, and engaged in other shoddy practices.
The two architects were hired by Lin as designer and supervisor for the construction, but the building’s design blueprint and its structural safety were not certified by licensed architectural firms, prosecutors said.
They also alleged that Lin borrowed a building construction license from another firm, and had no safety supervisor or certified technicians at the construction site to oversee the progress of the project.
The presiding judge last night denied bail to Lin and continued to hold him incommunicado, citing possible flight risk and tampering with evidence, while the two architects were granted bail of NT$2 million (US$61,725) each.
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday lavished US President Donald Trump with praise and vows of a “golden age” of ties on his visit to Tokyo, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Takaichi — Japan’s first female prime minister — pulled out all the stops for Trump in her opening test on the international stage and even announced that she would nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, the White House said. Trump has become increasingly focused on the Nobel since his return to power in January and claims to have ended several conflicts around the world,
GLOBAL PROJECT: Underseas cables ‘are the nervous system of democratic connectivity,’ which is under stress, Member of the European Parliament Rihards Kols said The government yesterday launched an initiative to promote global cooperation on improved security of undersea cables, following reported disruptions of such cables near Taiwan and around the world. The Management Initiative on International Undersea Cables aims to “bring together stakeholders, align standards, promote best practices and turn shared concerns into beneficial cooperation,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said at a seminar in Taipei. The project would be known as “RISK,” an acronym for risk mitigation, information sharing, systemic reform and knowledge building, he said at the seminar, titled “Taiwan-Europe Subsea Cable Security Cooperation Forum.” Taiwan sits at a vital junction on
RSS