The Taipei District Court yesterday ordered that three lawmakers be held incommunicado amid a probe into allegedly bribery relating to an ownership dispute over Pacific Sogo Department Store (太平洋崇光百貨).
The three are Su Chen-ching (蘇震清) of the Democratic Progressive Party, and Chen Chao-ming (陳超明) and Sufin Siluko (廖國棟) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Also held incommunicado were Su’s office director Yu Hsueh-yang (余學洋) and Sufin’s office director Ting Fu-hua (丁復華), as well as Kuo Ke-ming (郭克銘), a political lobbyist and general manager of Knowledge International Consultancy (是知管理顧問公司).
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday raided the offices of six incumbent and former lawmakers for allegedly taking bribes ranging from several hundreds of thousands of New Taiwan dollars to NT$20 million (US$677,071) from Lee Heng-lung (李恆隆), the former chairman of Pacific Distribution Investment Co (太平洋流通), who was also detained yesterday.
The case involves the largest number of lawmakers simultaneously detained since the nation was democratized in 1992.
Su Chen-ching’s uncle, Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), on Sunday resigned as Presidential Office secretary-general, saying he wanted to avoid affecting the presidency.
Former New Power Party (NPP) chairman and legislator Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) was yesterday released on bail of NT$800,000, following the release on NT$500,000 bail of former DPP legislator and former minister of foreign affairs Mark Chen (陳唐山). The NPP on Sunday suspended Hsu’s membership.
Hsu’s implication in the scandal has shocked many among the so-called “2014 Sunflower movement generation,” as the NPP was founded by building on the movement’s momentum.
Evidence appears to show that Hsu had made a commitment to the bribers, but whether he accepted the bribe is unclear, the court said, adding that Hsu is forbidden to contact related witnesses.
“I cannot disclose details about the case, but I am absolutely innocent,” Hsu told reporters after his release.
Taipei prosecutors said that the lawmakers are suspected of taking bribes from Lee in 2018 to lobby the Ministry of Economic Affairs to amend Article 9 of the Company Act (公司法) relating to capital increases and to make them retroactive.
The proposed retroactive clause, which might have allowed Lee to take back ownership of the department store chain from Far Eastern Group (遠東集團) chairman Douglas Hsu (徐旭東), did not pass.
Independent Legislator Chao Cheng-yu (趙正宇) was accused of taking bribes from funeral services proprietors Chen Ming-han (陳明瀚) and Chung Ke-hsin (鍾克信) through Kuo. Chao allegedly pressured the Construction and Planning Agency to alter the classification of a plot of land in Taipei’s Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), so the proprietors could build a cemetery.
Chao was released on NT$1 million bail on Sunday, while his former aide Lin Chia-chi (林家騏) was detained incommunicado.
The prosecutors’ office on Monday said that Chao should be detained, and has appealed the court’s decision.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
RSS