Presidential Office Secretary-General Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) yesterday said that he would file a defamation suit against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers if they continue to insinuate that he interceded on behalf of former Tang Eng Iron Works Co (唐榮鐵工廠) general manager Chang Chung-chieh (張仲傑), who is the subject of four conflict of interest probes.
KMT Legislator Yosi Takun at a news conference on Wednesday said that Vice Premier Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津), when he was minister of economic affairs, shielded Chang, because Chang is Su’s nephew.
Citing a “confidential” document signed by Shen and addressed to Tang Eng, Yosi said that the partially state-owned firm in 2017 arranged an employee trip through the Chu Chun Travel Service (巨群旅行), which is owned by Chang’s second son.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Yosi said that another conflict of interest happened when Yuan Shin Co (源新科貿), where Chang’s eldest son served as a manager in 2016 and 2017, participated in a call for bids by Tang Eng.
From 2015 to last year, Tang Eng contracted with Chia-Yu Dressing Co (佳侑製衣), a subsidiary of a firm owned by Chang’s wife, to make its employee uniforms, he added.
Hong Yun International Co (紅雲國際) was this year able to purchase 3,000 tonnes of stainless steel from Tang Eng at below market prices because the owner is purportedly friends with Chang, Yosi said.
Photo: CNA
The KMT has linked Chang’s actions to Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee deputy chairwoman Shih Chin-fang (施錦芳), who was nominated by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) as a Control Yuan member and was Su’s aide when he was Pingtung County commissioner.
On the same day, Chang tendered his resignation, which Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) approved.
The document, which cannot be declassified until December 2025, reportedly shows that Shen asked Tang Eng to “make improvements” to its corporate governance, without meting out any punishment.
Citing Shen, Executive Yuan spokesman Ting Yi-ming (丁怡銘) said that the document has been classified over concerns that its content would negatively affect Tang Eng.
Ting quoted Shen as saying that he forwarded the case to the State-Owned Enterprise Commission upon receiving the complaint, without shielding Chang.
Su wrote on Facebook that since the allegations surfaced last year, he has repeatedly said that he was not part of Chang’s employment or promotion at Tang Eng.
The KMT caucus is exploiting this issue again because lawmakers are scheduled to vote on Control Yuan nominees on Friday next week, he wrote.
Chang should be investigated if suspected of graft, but the KMT should not use his family to make unfounded accusations for political gain, he added.
If this character assassination persists, he would not rule out defending his reputation through judicial channels, he wrote.
Separately yesterday, Yosi told a news conference that his office has received threatening calls from people who did not identify themselves.
Suspecting that the calls were related to his allegations against Chang, Yosi and the KMT caucus urged police to investigate the case so that lawmakers can keep the government in check without being menaced.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiao-kuang
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